-
- Sat 18 May 10:52 PMCitizens First: A Call to Create "Charter" Police and Fire Stations, brought to you by Democrats for Public Safety Reform (DFPSR)
2
by columwhyte - Thu 16 May 11:00 PMBruins Open Thread
5
by jconway - Thu 16 May 10:58 PMPPP: Markey Up by 7
15
by johnk - Thu 16 May 7:37 PMHenry David T vs. Energy (Goliath) Enterprise
12
by mobeach42 - Thu 16 May 3:18 PMBernstein: Gomez using "Victory Fund" fundraising approach against which Mass. GOP railed
1
by fenway49 - Thu 16 May 3:15 PMSenate Ways & Means Budget for FY 2014
3
by massbudget - Thu 16 May 8:15 AMGomez Shopped Around and Rejected Lower Appraisals for his Shady Tax Deduction
5
by johnk - Wed 15 May 3:34 PMCool image from Minneapolis, MN
16
by mike_cote - Wed 15 May 7:58 AMA Call for Change in Boston Election Signature Collection and Qualification Rules
20
by martywalsh - Wed 15 May 6:19 AMYoung Democrats to honor Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ellen Story, and activist Harmony Wu at Roosevelt After Dark fundraiser to support Emerge Massach
2
by jkleschinsky
- Sat 18 May 10:52 PMCitizens First: A Call to Create "Charter" Police and Fire Stations, brought to you by Democrats for Public Safety Reform (DFPSR)
roarkarchitect
Person #: 0 Posts
Recommended: 4 times
Two abreast is legal ? (0 Replies)
I can understand in JP – but the law needs to be changed at least in the suburbs – it doesn’t make sense – and is dangerous to the cyclist.
Sort of related but – my biggest nightmare is hitting either a cyclists or a motorcyclist. Never assume a car can see you.
I think you are correct (0 Replies)
And that cyclist activists are endangering the rest of us law abiding riders – and they need to be ticketed.
Much the same as the messenger bikes without brakes – or skiers who drink and barrel down the mountain at 35 miles an hour with no control.
It’s lack of respect for other individuals.
Three mile winding road (0 Replies)
The road I get worried about – and its great to ride on – is 3+ miles long – if you are in a car – and bikes are riding two or three across – you have to follow the bikes for miles at 10-12 miles an hour. This is wrong and just arrogance among some cyclists.
now if only they would follow the law (1 Reply)
I ride my road bike on the same winding road where groups of cyclists ride 3 across – they have pissed the drivers on the road off – I don’t want to be collateral damage – I’ve debated giving up my road bike and just using my mountain bike – but that’s tough in the fall and spring when the mountain bike trails close.
Ride Single File - would improve auto attitudes (0 Replies)
In the suburbs bicyclists ride 2 or 3 across – not acceptable – I was always taught keep to the right of the road – and I do. I also do run RED lights on my bike – when there are not cars going the other way – safer for everyone.
BTW – I almost got run over as a pedestrian a couple of times on a bike trail in Amsterdam – and a mother had her baby in the front basket of a bike (a SWAT team would come after her in the US for doing this).
Use the reports and hire them in MA. (1 Reply)
I’m sure there are reports (at least I hope so).
Maybe the IRS agents will get new jobs in the Massachusetts State Government ?
Governor Patrick hires person at center of Joe the Plumber privacy invasion as head of Unemployment Office
No matter what party – patronage hiring and using the IRS to abuse citizens is really wrong.
Its not just "on-line merchants" (1 Reply)
It’s remote sellers – so if you are based on MA and sell to NY – you are a remote seller. There is not an “on-line” tax – it’s a tax on all commerce.
(6) REMOTE SELLER- The term ‘remote seller’ means a person that makes remote sales in the State.
This also means my vendors will require my manufacturing exemption certificates – or they will be required to add sale tax.
Hurts us in a big way (1 Reply)
Items used in the manufacturing process are exempt from sales tax. But this law even gets murky – a welding table may or may not be exempt depending on the interpretation of the law frankly it really should but DOR sort of thinks not – and it’s cheaper to pay then fight.
I would say 90% if my clients pay “USE” tax where applicable – but the other 10% won’t and by having me collect sales tax – it will drive this clients to companies with revenue under 1M or exporters from Canada.
Good luck changing ERP packages – with have 10,000 parts – and probably 2000 processes designed – the last time we changed ERP packages – we lost probably a few months of output.
Either the revenue limits need to be raised or in one version of the bill – there was a 50K limit per state – either would help with some of the negative problems with this bill.
But hey – nobody cares about manufacturing.
Google ERP Software (1 Reply)
There are probably a thousand different vendors of Enterprise Resource Software. These software packages are used by mid sized BtoB manufacturing companies .
None – none of their updates are free and some companies are out of business. The maintenance contract on the package we use for 5 users cost 10K a year – and I doubt they would provide an update for the proposed sales tax law change.
Yes it takes us hours to deal with Massachusetts Sales tax – we have to get exception certificates from non-profit and government agencies – and we have to make sure the certificates are accurate and correct, if they are not when the DOR audits us we will have to pay the sales tax and penalties. These penalties are not just on the one certificate you missed – they will use this as a benchmark % and apply it to all back years in the audit.
The Main Street Act is a large administrative burden and wrong. My company pays all (actually more because it’s cheaper not to have to fight with the DOR) sales and use taxes. It will put my firm at a competitive disadvantage with smaller firms and firms that import into the US.
Yes we are a brick and mortar manufacturing company.
2 hours a month to fill out MA forms (1 Reply)
In my small company it takes probably 2 hours a month to deal with the MA sales taxes – if we have to fill them out for 37 states – that 74 hours a month. This is a 1/2 time employee in a small company – who is going to pay for this.
There is no such thing as “windows update” for specialized software used in small businesses – update are expensive – painful and in a lot of cases un-available. When we update our manufacturing software – it’s a month long process – and can disrupt production for a week – we try not to do it.
Then there is the issue with medium size companies competing with smaller companies. If this bill passes I know I will lose project to companies who don’t charge sales tax.
37 taxing authorities ? (2 Replies)
If you are in the 1-2M range – you can probably split your company – and avoid taxes – just as companies in Massachusetts that are close to the 7M threshold do. Two divisions are a lot easier than dealing with 37 different taxing authorities.
If you are 20-50M – you have a department to handle it – you probably like this – as it will mess with your smaller competitors.
In my business importers (some from Canada) will have a advantage over domestic producers – they won’t have to pay or fill out the tax forms and will be able to offer “tax free” prices.
Just try and figure out the paper work required for the 37+ states that collect taxes or the audits – or the classifications. There is no easy software fix – sorry – companies used 1000′s of different versions of software – some not even supported anymore.
Last time I was in a tire store – they were running I believe a DEC (Digital equipment) terminal into some type of mainframe – this is just a example – there are 1000′s of programs – and it’s not going to be trivial. It’s probably a bigger problem then Y2K.
What about large value items. (1 Reply)
So I sell something worth $100,000 and I’m forced to pay sales tax – my small competitors and my competitors from Canada aren’t – who is going to get the project?
Or my client stiffs me for the sales tax.
There is a gross revenue tax in Massachusetts I think 7M – lots of companies reorganize to avoid it.
BTW – last state sales tax audit cost me 10K – so 37 x 10K = 370,000 – that’s a lot of money
This will hurt the economy (3 Replies)
Companies will want to keep their gross sales under 1M to avoid complying with the law or split into separate small divisions.
Companies with sales from 1-20M are going to have a big administrative burden thrown on them. Just as Obama care kicks in.
Companies from Canada are going to have advantage over US firms – as I believe NAFTA will not allow collection of sales tax.
All in All this is a pretty bad bill – just when the economy is starting to improve let mess it up.
Medallions like the Airlines before Carter (0 Replies)
The medallion system is like the airlines before Jimmy Carter deregulated them (except for the current subsidies to places like Nantucket and the Vineyard).
Airfare was expensive – and only the 1% traveled on vacation.
Get rid of the Medallions – keep a simple licensing system – and we would have a taxis system the envy of any city.
Pioneer Institute provides great research (0 Replies)
Go read some of the headlines on their blog and research papers before you comment.
- Will Mass Unmerge Insurance Because of the ACA
- Legislature must open spending
- Driving Reform: New Study on Real Solutions to Our Transportation Challenges
- We Must Address Serious Transportation Needs In Massachusetts, But the Governor’s Proposal Is Not Serious
-Better Government Competition for 10K
Beside the occasional Globe Spotlight story they are the only organization looking at Massachusetts Government in a critical way.
Bring back the Cabaret Tax. (0 Replies)
In 1955 we spent 17.8% of our GDP on government
In 2010 we spent 23.9%
I would gladly go back to the spending and tax polices of 1955 – BUT not the social values. Gee it was a great time – especially the part my parents couldn’t get married in a church because they were divorced.
Or lets put up the same trade barriers that existed in the 1950′s (granted the result of a 1920 trade war) – so it was cheaper for the Canadians to buy from Europe ?
Hey lets bring back the Cabaret tax excise tax, a tax on all receipts at any venue that served food or drink and allowed dancing. That will help our economy.
Apply Open Meeting Laws at the State Level (0 Replies)
The legislature mandates very strict open meeting laws at the local level and then exempts itself.
The individual computer privacy laws that apply to private business should also apply at the state and local level.
BTW – this won’t happen unless you get a statewide ballot question.
For some things Regionalization will work (1 Reply)
Regional dispatch makes a lot of sense – but a state wide – DPW – it would be horrible – or a state wide police force – we already have that – and they are impossible to deal with.
What is good about local government – its at a small enough scale that you can make sure your funds are spent wisely.
My town government would never give money to a film company to produce a film in our town, allow employees to retire after 20 years of service – or lend non-recourse money to private companies.
But we do spend money to build a new high school or library – or fund our music and arts department.
I think selectman should take a position (1 Reply)
And then allow the individual committees/departments to make the argument.
With overrides – at least in our town – the warrant committee also takes a yes/no vote – and the committee members are appointed by the town moderator.
the more I learn – the more I find the ways of town government interesting.
Try NY State $60.00 per $1000.00 (3 Replies)
I think Granby is $16.00 per $1000.00 which is high for Massachusetts.
Prop 2-1/2 forces the town government to make an argument for higher taxes. You need a 2/3s majority at Town Meeting and a majority at a public vote.
You don’t make the argument – you don’t get the tax increase.
In New York – the rate is set by I believe the local government – think your town could survive with a $60.00/1000 tax rate?