Thursday, January 24, 2013
Investing in education and transportation will boost the economy, the governor said Thursday.
The tax increases Gov. Deval Patrick has requested will be used to invest in places like education and transportation in an effort to boost the state's economy, he said Thursday morning after an event at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown. In his budget proposal, released Wednesday, Patrick asked for an increase in the income tax - while cutting the sales tax - as a way to get more revenue for the state. He will have to make the case to Massachusetts residents that the money will not just go into old programs. "That’s part of my job, which is to make it clear to people that we are asking that they contribute more, but it is in order to get more," Patrick said. "This is a budget about growth, and growing job opportunity. By …
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Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The plan focuses on investments in transportation and education while calling for an income tax increase coupled with a lower sales tax.
In submitting his $34.8 billion budget to the Legislature Wednesday, Patrick said the proposed income tax hike is part of a comprehensive package aimed at investing in the state's infrastructure and in driving growth. The proposal asks for an increase in the income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent coupled with a reduction in the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent. It also doubles personal exemptions. Despite the proposed income tax hike, Patrick says that low and modest-income workers will pay less in taxes under his proposal, and only the "more fortunate see a larger increase." "I do not submit this proposal lightly. I understand that many households in Massachusetts continue to struggle from the impact of the Great …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Doing away with local housing boards is Gov. Patrick's idea for slashing public housing cost and corruption. Do you think that's a good idea?
[UPDATED: Jan. 10, 2013 at 7:38 p.m. The previous version incorrectly referenced the Watertown Housing Partnership.] The Watertown Housing Authority, one of 240 public housing authorities across Massachusetts, would all but vanish as part of a proposal from Gov. Deval Patrick to streamline public housing management operations. The purpose of local housing authorities is to manage and maintain subsidized housing and, often, to advocate for affordable housing for lower-income residents. The administration reportedly estimates the consolidation would save more than $10 million a year in salaries and administrative costs. According to the Boston Globe, while Gov. Patrick's proposal would centralize public housing management into six regional…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
In January, the cabinet will have new secretaries of finance, education, health and public safety.
Gov. Deval Patrick announced late last week he has appointed four new secretaries to join his cabinet. In January, Glen Shor will replace outgoing Secretary of Finance Jay Gonzalez; Matt Malone will replace Secretary of Education Paul Reville; John Polanowicz will replace Secretary of Health JudyAnn Bigby; and Sheriff Andrea Cabral will replace Secretary of Public Safety Marybeth Heffernan. “Glen, Matt, John and Andrea are the real deal. They come to their new positions with the expertise, the talent, the respect and the vision to achieve our bold agenda over the next two years,” Patrick said. “Jay, Paul, Judy and Marybeth were instrumental in achieving the cornerstones of an agenda that is making a difference,” he added. “This is …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
The Internet retailer said the collection would begin in time for next year's holiday shopping season.
Checking out at Amazon.com will be a little pricier starting next November. Gov. Deval Patrick's office announced the deal Tuesday, stating the company would be adding jobs to Massachusetts in the next few years. Amazon.com and Patrick said they would work together to support a federal bill allowing individual states to collect sales tax in states where they have no physical location. "I value the contributions large and small employers alike make to Massachusetts' economic vitality, and this agreement captures that," said Patrick, in a statement. "We are thankful Amazon was willing to come to the table and we will continue our conversations with them about creating jobs here. This agreement is a win for all sides, and I am pleased it …
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick plans to ask lawmakers to raises taxes to make up for the shortfall in Massachusetts' transportation system. What options should they consider — and what is off the table?
Would you be willing to pay more at the pump, have a tracking system on your car that taxes you by the mile, or see tolls on state highways? Those are just some of the possibilities looming as Massachusetts looks to erase the state's transportation system's deficit. The Boston Globe reported that Gov. Deval Patrick will ask lawmakers to raise taxes in order to pay for a transportation system—from the MBTA to roads and bridges—that continues to operate in the red. The administration will present a specific proposal by Jan. 7. One option is raising the gas tax, a route Patrick sought in 2009 only to be rebuffed by the legislature. Patrick sought a 19-cent hike, while business groups endorsed a 25-cent increase. Ultimately, the state Senate …
Friday, September 28, 2012
In a live chat on Patch Thursday, Gov. Deval Patrick said he approves of the extraordinary step of allowing release to defense attorneys of State Police interviews with alleged "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan.
Gov. Deval Patrick took part in a live chat on Patch Thursday. In it, he spoke about the scandal engulfing the State Drug Lab in Jamaica Plain. That's where so-called "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan is alleged to have tainted the evidence in as many as 34,000 cases. Thousands of drug dealers behind bars could go free (and some have already been released.) Asked by Patch for a progress report on the mammoth task of dealing with the fallout, here's what the governor typed: The criminal investigation is ongoing. Yesterday, in a very unusual move, prosecutors gave defense attorneys all the notes of State Police interviews of witnesses to date, including the notes of the interview of Annie Dookhan, the chemist at the center of this. Given the …
During a live chat with Patch the governor expressed skepticism about the legalization of medical marijuana, though he sympathized with patients in pain.
Governor Deval Patrick said he would likely vote "no" on Question 3 this fall. During a Thursday live chat with Patch, a reader asked Patrick how he would vote on the ballot question and whether the governor was for or against the legalization of cannabis. "I am not too energized on this issue, personally. California's experience has been mixed. I will probably vote against it. I respect the opposing view, though, especially those whose concern is for people in constant pain," wrote the governor in response. Proponents say medical marijuana will help ease the pain and suffering of cancer patients and other eligible residents. Opponents, meanwhile, say the law is a back door to full legalization, and that medical marijuana can be …
Asked about toll fairness during a Patch live chat, Governor Deval Patrick asked a reader whether he'd support high-speed tolls. Are these a good way to share the transportation funding pain, or another money grab?
Are high-speed tolls along Interstate 93 and other highways a smart way to help fund transportation in the state? Governor Deval Patrick mentioned such a system during a Patch live chat on Thursday. If you've gone up Interstate 95 into New Hampshire, you've seen high-speed tolling in action. The system is designed to read your EZ-Pass (nee Fast Lane) transponder while you breeze by at 65 miles per hour. There's no need to slow down or squeeze though a booth, as EZ-Pass users currently do on the Mass Pike, Tobin Bridge and harbor tunnels. The chat moved on to other topics, so no details about implementation were offered. What do you think? Would tolls along I-93 offer some fairness to riders in Boston, MetroWest and North Shore, who all pay…
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Fairness of Mass. Pike tolls and how to keep tech skills in-state were also among topics touched on in Patch's live chat today with Gov. Patrick.
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Governor Deval Patrick answered your questions during our live chat Thursday afternoon. To see what the governor chatted about click on the widget above.
Nate
7:57 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
If an investment in the future means him hiring every hack who threw a check into his campaign fund then yes this is an investment in the fiuture. One we will have to pay for for years after Patrick is gone too. more ›