Lyons, Finegold Sound Off on Patrick's Budget Proposal
Neither legislator is enthusiastic about plan to raise taxes and fees.
Gov. Deval Patrick submitted a $34.8 billion budget proposal to the legislature Wednesday, calling for investments in trasportation, education and infrastructure and tax hikes to pay for it.
And Republican state Rep. Jim Lyons is not happy with it.
"To raise taxes on the hard working families of Massachusetts, $2 billion, is absolutely the wrong direction for the governor to be going in," Lyons said. "The last thing we ought to be doing in this fragile economy is punishing small bsuiness and driving them to look elsewhere outside of the commonwealth."
Patrick's proposal would raise the income tax to 6.25 percent and reduce the sales tax to 4.5 percent.
While agreeing that the sales tax should be reduced, Lyons took issue with Patrick's calls for bigger investments in education and transportation.
"The problem I have is with the word 'investment,' because that's just another word for new taxes," Lyons said.
Even members of Patrick's own party have been luke-warm in their response to the governor's plans to generate increased revenue.
“Before any talk of increasing taxes, I want to see where existing revenue levels are coming in now. I will push for reforms before we talk about any new revenue sources,” said Finegold.
Lyons added that he agrees with some things the governor wants to do, including increasing local aid. But for spending on transportation and education, Lyons said spending should be cut from elsewhere in the budget.
"It's about resetting priorities on Beacon Hill," he said. "The governor doesn't want to have a serious discussion about the priorities that he has already laid out. We have to look for other ideas and other ways to do things."
(Tewksbury Patch Senior Editor Bill Gilman contributed to this article.)
Douglas Sears
7:48 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
Where does Rep. Miceli stand?
Dave
7:55 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
On Beacon Hill
Jonathan Ciampa
9:49 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
Please take a firm stand. Very little of the money being "invested" is going to come to Tewksbury and it will be an uphill battle to fight off your colleagues who represent cities and towns looking to cash in on this big payday. Hopefully you can get Elizabeth Warren to help where she is such a strong supporter of the middle class.
CallMeFrustrated
10:06 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
"Hopefully you can get Elizabeth Warren to help where she is such a strong supporter of the middle class."
That was meant to be sarcastic, right?
Chris
1:28 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
Yes, it must be sarcasm, don't count on Warren to help anyone but herself.
CallMeFrustrated
10:08 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
The only proposal is to take more of our money (at least from those of us that work) - where are the proposals to cut spending?
Neil
3:03 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
State government has already cut 6000 positions. I know, right? It was news to me too. I'd like to know the details about other reforms like getting rid of the Mass Turnpike Authority and merging it with MassDOT. What were those cost savings? We've been cutting for a while now.
Here's the thing. A median-income family of 4 -- $60,000 -- would pay $91 /year more based on sales tax cut and income tax increase of +1%. I support it.
Lyons has different priorities. That's fine. I don't agree, though.
Bob
6:40 pm on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Neil,I didn't know because it isn't true! Cadillac has ADDED 5K jobs since the mess started and has increased $100K jobs by 40%! This is an almost 7% increase in the budget.
Douglas Sears
11:33 am on Friday, January 25, 2013
Dave -- fine but uninformative -- germane to matters that concern taxpayers in Wilmington and Tewksbury, as a constituent I am intersted in knowing what parts of the Governor's tax raising Rep. Miceli supports and why. Others may share the interest, and it would be appropriate for him to follow the lead of Rep. Lyons and Senator Finegold and join the disucssion. I am sure they asked him -- and that for his own reasons, declined to comment. Maybe he doesn't want the middle-class people of Wilmington and Tewksbury to see how he votes "on Beacon Hill." Doug
Cecil Moore
11:17 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013
Selectman Sears,
I have been a constituent of your's for three terms and actually voted for you once. Where do you stand on anything? During the Mall Vote in early 2000's, you orchestrated your own removal from a Town Meeting, so that you did not have to cast a vote. You were an elected sitting Selectman when the sewer project was approved, but now deny that you had anything to do with it. You ran your last campaign on the premise that "we are working well together, so why break it up?", what have you contributed that works so well? in this case you are trying to throw a dagger at Representive Miceli by calling him out on where he stands?... That certainly sounds like the pot calling the kettle black. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones!
Dave
2:10 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
This is a guise to really what the extra taxation is all about, Ta da! It’s the unfunded pension liability dance !
“Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain”
Dave
2:12 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
Why be serious when Gov't is the opposite, they not have a care in the world until you make them broke.
Who Me?
3:11 pm on Friday, January 25, 2013
Added 8000 NEW Positions since 2006
http://www.redmassgroup.com/diary/14029/deval-patrick-administration-again-lies-to-boston-herald-about-size-of-state-government-employment
Art Ford
11:03 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013
I am not in favor of any income tax increase -it will slow the economy further than it is now. It will cost further jobs. The proposal will take our state out of the middle of the pack to the top of the pack in taxes in a bad economy this is not a place we want to be- -my understanding is Mass Taxpayer's Foundation has said this will put us at the top of states collecting income taxes. This will bring more jobs and residents to NH.
Please pay attention to the other spending items he is proposing - one item Inproved rail service form Pittsfiled to New York City is not at the top of my list- I understand it equates to $2,500 per passenger -
i also understand there is a proposal that will provide for prekindergardne care -preschool up to when these children go to school - any proposal like this should be discussed openly -if approved it will be with us forever - it is hard to come out against proposals like this - a poor economy is not the time to start new programs -especially on the back of a steep tax increase.
Art Ford CPA
Sullivan Bille PC
Douglas Sears
12:17 pm on Saturday, January 26, 2013
It is important for citizens of Wilmington and Tewksbury to know where Rep. Micedli stands on tax hikes the governor proposes for the middle class and all others in Massachusetts. If he doesn'tchooseto let us know -- or chooses not to use this forum and this time to do so -- as our other Representative and our Senator have -- Jim is a big boy and does not need anyone to make excuses for him or to divert attention from the question: "where do you stand on the Governor's proposal to raise taxes, Rep. Miceli?" I presume that as a self-described fiscal conservative Jim would be against raising taxes, but nonetheless would vote however the Speaker tells him to do as is his practice.
Richard Menard
11:29 am on Sunday, January 27, 2013
Art, I saw the same report and feel the same as you do about Mass moving to the top of the bracket. I just had another friend who works in Mass move to NH, more bang for his buck he said. I love the idea of sales tax break, especially in a border town like Tewksbury. We do our Christmas shopping over the border because on our teacher/ff incomes with a big family we save hundreds! If the cost of travel was closer to the savings,people would stay and business would reap the benefits year round. If Tewksbury's administration would hold State and Federal Reps and Senators accoountable to their promises we may be able to get our fair share and these hikes would seem more reasonable. I hate getting whacked with a tax and get nothing to show from it!