taxes

Despite tax hikes.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled today the state can't force companies in New Hampshire to collect the Massachusetts sales tax on sales to Massachusetts residents (so New Hampshire can continue to proclaim Tax Free or Die). Read more

The Boston City Council discussed Mayor Menino's proposal to raise local meals and hotel-room taxes, but took no action on the plan so that its Committee on Government Operations can hold a hearing in August - standard procedure under council rules for new business.

Menino has proposed a 0.75% meals tax - on top of the 6.25% state tax going into effect on Saturday - and an increase of 2 percentage points in the current tax on hotel rooms. The council's Committee on Government Operations will host a hearing in early to mid August.

During the council discussion today, at-large candidate Doug Bennett, stood up behind councilors with a large "No New Taxes Mayor!" sign. Bennett argues with unemployment near 10%, now is the worst time to be raising any taxes.

On noticing the sign, council President Mike Ross "recessed the meeting and asked him to take the sign down," Reuben Kantor, Ross's chief of staff said. "So he did, and left." Bennett says he was kicked out; Kantor says he was simply asked to take the sign down.

Video of Bennett raising his sign.

Because the sales tax goes up to 6.25% on Aug. 1. Also, aid to cities and towns goes down.

The Globe has the details.

The Sunday Globe has a well-researched report on the value of tax exemptions and other financial breaks enjoyed by area hospital companies.

The piece gives context, and raises the question of whether hospitals should be paying more to the local government.

The Outraged Liberal makes the case against Therese Murray.

Jay Fitzgerald hopes the governor doesn't go for her bait.

Who knew the state legislature was full of such delicate flowers?

House passes sales-tax increase by veto-proof margin.

Mike Ball asks that you call your legislators and tell them that's meaningless without reform: Don't let those clowns think they've done enough!

The Outraged Liberal says Patrick could win the war for losing this battle: Patrick either ultimately gets the reforms he wants from the legislature or he has a ready-made issue to use against Republican Christy Mihos next year:

... Higher turnpike polls become lawmakers' problems and they will have hell to pay for the next round of MBTA service cuts and fare hikes. Not to mention they will own the crumbling roads and bridges.

Patrick's popularity numbers may be in the tank, but no politician has ever gone wrong running against the legislature or Congress. The beleaguered Patrick has put an important downpayment on his campaign by taking a stand here. ...

Blue Mass. Group has the roll call vote.

House considers raising sales tax 40%, the Globe reports.

The Outraged Liberal analyzes the apparent consensus in the legislature to raise just the sales tax, and that by 20%, even though that would hit the poor harder than people at the upper ends of the income spectrum.

Convinced increase in cigarette taxes going to thieving Wall Street fat cats.

Mats Tolander: Let's spend the revenue from Governor Subprime Patrick's carbon-usage fee on snow removal.

If Gov. Patrick has his way: As part of his budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1, he wants to repeal the current sales-tax exemption on candy, liquor and sugary drinks. He would also extend the current bottle-deposit law to bottles of water, Gatorade and their ilk.

Via David at Blue Mass. Group, who also notes a proposal to expand the number of charter schools in the states' 50 lowest-performing school districts, which includes Boston.

Angela, who smokes, will be damned if the Commonwealth gets another pound of flesh out of her:

... Thank God my car is fuel-efficient because I can see a bi-weekly trip to New Hampshire in my future. Ah, New Hampshire ... our friendly neighbor to the north. I can almost see the delight on the faces of the Seabrook cigarette retailers now.

Sean Roche explains.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center takes a look at the House's proposed tax modifications (the ones that will give large companies a new loophole). Among other things:

... The amendment appears to take away from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue much of the standard authority that departments of revenue generally have to adopt regulations that implement the law. Reducing the regulatory authority of the department could strengthen the hand of companies with the capacity to design sophisticated tax avoidance strategies by weakening the capacity of the department of revenue to ensure that our tax laws are implemented in a fair, effective and efficient manner. ...

Right before the opening pitch. Of course, they could steal a page from Mitt Romney and call it a fee.

Speaking of taxes, Sean Roche makes the case for increasing the state gasoline tax from 21 cents a gallon - where it's been since 1991 - to 40 cents a gallon:

... The current gas tax pulls in $600 million per year. Raising it to 40 cents would reap an additional $629 million per year (at $34 million in revenue per cent of gas tax). Think that wouldn't help ease the difficulties we're having paying to maintain our transportation infrastructure?

This isn't just a mathematical game to bolster the argument for a higher gas tax. The cost of maintaining our transportation infrastructure is closely tied to the cost of gas. Revenue from the gas tax ought to rise proportionally with the price of gas. ...

Philip Greenspun, who is a pilot, doesn't like Deval Patrick's effort to revive a sales tax, repealed in 2002, on aircraft and aircraft maintenance:

... Maybe "young, gifted, and black" translates to "try to tax things that can move at 500 mph; send jobs to states governed by old, boring, and white people. ...

Yeah, because as a white person, I sure feel put upon that Patrick is going to try to tax my personal jetcopter, the one I was promised as a kid.