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Cut the Income Tax! Raise the Sales Tax! Lower and Raise Property Taxes!
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byHey, its not my idea. It’s a proposal floated by a consultant to the the Readiness Project, tucked in an appendix to the Readiness Finance Commission, released on New Year’s Eve (see “Beware the Doldrums“). To quote from the appendix itself: 1. Increase the burdens of state-level general sales taxes by 25 percent and state-level selective sales taxes by 60 percent. 2. Create a local-level general sales tax with a burden of $2.00 per $1,000 of personal income. 3. Decrease state-level personal income taxes by 15 percent and state-level corporate income taxes by 10 percent. 4. Decrease local-level property taxes by 10 percent but create a state-level property tax with a burden of about $1.50 per $1,000 of personal income. […]
Start Here Before Cutting Into the Safety Net
/0 Comments/in Better Government, News /by Editorial StaffCommon Sense Budget Actions Author(s): — Publication date: 2009-01-13 Category: Better Government Abstract: In October, Pioneer suggested $700 million in cuts that Governor Patrick could make to the fiscal year 2009 budget. A number of the cuts we recommended were included in the Governor’s $1.4 billion package of budget reductions. Unfortunately, in addition to inadvisable fiscal actions like extending the period for repaying unfunded pension liability and withdrawals from the rainy day fund, the Governor also made well over $350 million in cuts to safety net programs. It was too early in this difficult economic cycle to make those cuts. It still is. [wpdm_package id=69]
Lessons Learned: An Assessment of Select Public-Private Partnerships in Massachusetts
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Press Releases, Press Releases: Government /by Editorial StaffAn Assessment of Select Public-Private Partnerships in Massachusetts Author(s): Dr. John B. Miller — Publication date: 2008-12-10 Category: Better Government Abstract: Public-private partnerships are a much misunderstood and still-evolving innovation in transportation infrastructure. Viewed with great suspicion by some as a ‘selling off’ of public goods,it is viewed with great enthusiasm by others as a source of additional revenues. In Massachusetts, we see public-private partnerships through the lens of recent projects that used private sector participation. This study seeks to examine several of those recent projects to learn about the private sector’s role and its impact on the project. Lessons Learned: An Assessment of Select Public-Private Partnerships in Massachusetts
Lessons Learned: An Assessment of Select Public-Private Partnerships in Massachusetts
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Press Releases, Press Releases: Government /by Editorial StaffAn Assessment of Select Public-Private Partnerships in Massachusetts Author(s): Dr. John B. Miller — Publication date: 2008-12-10 Category: Better Government Abstract: Public-private partnerships are a much misunderstood and still-evolving innovation in transportation infrastructure. Viewed with great suspicion by some as a ‘selling off’ of public goods,it is viewed with great enthusiasm by others as a source of additional revenues. In Massachusetts, we see public-private partnerships through the lens of recent projects that used private sector participation. This study seeks to examine several of those recent projects to learn about the private sector’s role and its impact on the project. Lessons Learned: An Assessment of Select Public-Private Partnerships in Massachusetts
Life Cycle Delivery of Public Infrastructure
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Press Releases, Press Releases: Government /by Editorial StaffPrecedents and Opportunities for the Commonwealth Author(s): Dr. John B. Miller — Publication date: 2008-12-01 Category: Better Government Abstract: Life-cycle delivery of infrastructure projects demands our attention. As the Commonwealth faces the interlocking threats of massive funding deficits, creeping levels of deferred maintenance, and unabated demands for expansion, public-private partnerships (PPPs) offer some potential relief. But, unless properly implemented and monitored, PPPs can also be a hindrance to strategic transportation planning and responsible budgeting. This report summarizes the opportunities and challenges PPPs present and recommends a strategy Massachusetts should follow in the future that adds life-cycle approaches to infrastructure delivery, a strategy based on delivering “value for money” and which demands improved levels of service, durable employment, and decreasing costs […]