Replies

Fri column ping

And we owe it all to Governor Deval Patrick
By Howie Carr | Friday, July 31, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists

On this final shopping day before the 25 percent sales tax increase here in Massachusetts, I would like to personally thank Gov. Deval Patrick for making it all possible.

Happy T-Day, Governor.

Don’t worry about us taxpayers, Governor - what’s another billion dollars to people who actually have to work for a living and didn’t get free rides to Milton Academy, Harvard College and Harvard Law School?

None of us has any pressing need for extra dough, especially not with the economy humming along like it is.

Thank you too, Governor, for that property tax relief that you promised all of us during the 2006 campaign.

That’s working out so well that last weekend in Abington, the voters nixed a Prop 2 override by a 4-1 margin, in a turnout rivaling last year’s presidential election, with 500 people taking absentee ballots.

Thank you, Governor, for getting the people of Massachusetts interested in the political process again.

Thank you too, Gov. Patrick, for yet another new tax going into effect tomorrow - the brand-new 6.25 percent sales tax on all alcohol products, which will of course be imposed on the full price of the alcohol, which already includes a state excise tax.

In other words, a sales tax imposed on an excise tax - it’ll do wonders for all those mom-and-pop package stores on the New Hampshire border. It’ll do for booze sales what the earlier tax-on-a-tax on smokes did for cigarette sales along the Merrimack.

And now everyone will have yet another reason to cross the border.

Governor, thanks for the new “sales tax” on all of us satellite-TV subscribers. That kicks in tomorrow too.

And we sure do appreciate all your recent fee increases at the Registry of Motor Vehicles - at the same time you’re shutting down, how many, 11 Registry offices, including the one in New Bedford, which no one ever uses, right, Governor?

Thanks, Governor, for dithering all through the budget process, going back and forth on raising the tolls, and the gas taxes, and every other damn thing, enabling the unspeakably corrupt Legislature to move into the vacuum of your nonleadership to sock it to us with this 25 percent increase in the sales tax.

Thanks for giving Mumbles Menino et al. the right to impose higher meals taxes, but why do they have to wait to jack up the cost of a cheeseburger until Oct. 1?

Thanks, Governor.

Thanks for nothing.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1188137