Gov. Patrick leery of raising sales tax

Deval represents real leadership on Beacon Hill, not Murray or DeLeo.

And retailers in NH rejoice.

Are you kidding me? At a measly 5%, raise the freakin' thing to avoid more cuts. Compared to other states with 7,8,9% sales taxes, Massachusetts charges pocket change.

We elect 'em, we gotta live with 'em. Twelve Year term liimts for all State rep and above positions.........

Raise the tax for crying out loud.
Stop whining, this guy is the most indecisive unleadership oriented cat i have ever seen and I voted for him. Protect the services, fix the potholes geez, you need a Hummer just to drive through boston these days.
This is embarrassing...... Yes we can.........can what?

Mr. Viser needs to be more precise with how he describes the proposed sales tax increase. He describes it as "a one percent hike in the sales tax." The proposal to increase the sales tax from 5% to 6% is actually a 20% increase or an increase of 100 basis points. A one percent hike (Mr. Viser's language) would result in a sales tax of 5.05%. That is not what is on the table. Although most people probably understand what Mr. Viser has written, it is nonetheless inaccurate and potentially misleading. A 1% hike sounds much better than 20% (no doubt that the politicians on Beacon Hill are likewise inaccurately spinning this as a 1% hike).

Mr. Viser could also refer to the increase as a one "percentage point" hike to be more accurate.

Cut the Quinn Bill. It's a total waste. Show you have some backbone folks. We know you don't have any, but can't you at least make a pretense of a backbone?

What might be the best solution to the tax situation is to call for a constitutional convention that would allow a graduated state income tax be made legal in the Commonwealth, and then do a piggy-back tax on the federal returns. That way, anyone could complete it in about three lines and a simple hand held calculator. It could be done on line or sent in, but it would have the advantage over all of the prior solutions of being a progressive tax vs. a flat or regressive tax, both of which have been proposed. It would hit the wealthy a bit harder, the poor not at all or less than what we have now, and it seems like the fairest way to go, given the various alternatives under consideration.

The Chief Executive Magistrate of the Commonwealth doesn't like it when the legislature talks about taxes without his okay, is that it?

That trifling document called the Constitution says tax bills must have the House's approval.

Maybe the legislative leaders don't include Gov. TogetherWeCan because they believe he is not part of the solution or they believe he is destined to be a one-term wonder.

Lead, follow or get out of the way.

How about this-- leave all taxes at their current levels, and make cuts to close the deficit. This means looking at everything, and cutting jobs. The state (and the country, for that matter) needs to start paying it's bills!

I have noticed a distinct lack of other ideas being floated around the legislature. Ideas which do NOT rely on the taxpayers paying out more and more money from already overburdened pocketbooks. Let some of these six-figure making pols take a 10-15% pay cut and see how much those measures close the budget gap.

Of course they are reluctant to raise the income tax. Most of the people on Beacon Hill have raized their families and are in the "stockpile wealth" phase of their miserable exsistance. Only those young people (ya know the ones the legislature is incenttivzing to leave massachusetts) will bear the burden of a sales tax increase. The morons on BH suffr from we stole ours the heck with everyone else.

It's apparent that Deval's Judgment is suspect from the first. He's advocating a HUGE increase in the gasoline tax that will affect not only filling up ones tank but the cost of bringing goods to market yet he's "leery" about a sales tax hike of 1%???? This is the guy that opted for a cadillac and expensive drapes the first month in office. This is the guy that was in NY pedaling his book while Casinos were being debated. Bad judgement? In over his head more likely. Better call Obama for a job, Deval.

Don't forget that a 1% sales tax is really a 20% increase in the sales tax. Will likely have a much larger effect(you pay more money) than a 0.19 increase in the gas tax. Especially if the price of gas continues to rise, that 0.19 is marginal at $4/gallon.

Make deep cuts as they do in the private sector. Dump the Quinn Bill for starters. Eliminate the police details that cost the taxpayers dearly. The politicians are afraid of the police unions.

Increasing the sales tax when the govt and companies are desperate for consumers to start spending money makes a lot of sense. What really needs to happen is all incumbents statewide and nationally need to be defeated in the few election years.

Hank--if they raise taxes without reform, I will vote against all incumbant representatives who sign onto the deal. We need a grass roots push to get reform NOW, and make it very painful for the pols to avoid upsetting the entrenched bureaucracy.

NO WE CAN'T!

A possible compromise would be to introduce a two-tier sales tax: 7% for all goods now subject to sales tax but 4% for all goods made in the USA and so labelled in accordance with Federal Trade Commission regulations. Every dollar spent on domestic goods benefits our economy, while spending on foreign-produced goods benefits China. On the other hand, considering how much of our economy is owned by China, maybe we ought to take extra special care of China too.....

CUT THE BUDGET

I like how someone compares us to other states and says we charge pocket change. Look to our neighbors of the north my friend. No sales tax. No income tax. Better roads. NH is definitely doing something right. But then again, they aren't supporting Obama's aunt and all her illegal friends. And they aren't paying their tollbooth collectors a small fortune to be sick on holidays. And they aren't spending money frivolously weighing children in schools to tell parents their kids are fat. And they don't have police details. Oh and I can bet their governor isn't looking at very costly drapes and driving a Cadillac.

We should totally raise the sales tax!

NYC has 8.5%, and they're benefitting greatly from it. If we raise ours, the money could go towards education.

time to stop the insanity. Tell the local and state government to cut. The MBTA lays off 75 people? Cmon. i bet more quit in a month. The quinn bill, kill it, Throw every single government worker into the State Health Insurance fund. They dont like it, fire them. Fire the hacks at all levels, you hear me Menino and Patrick?

this is nothing more than a transparent ploy to cater to the rich and destitute. It's clear Murray and DeLeo long ago sold out to the wealthy who don't want to pay their fair share of income and capital gains taxes, instead they want the average person to foot the bill

Go Patrick, and take no prisoners and teach Murray DeLeo not to mess with the will of the people again.

Why does state government consider its need for operating revenue to be exempt from cuts? WE ARE ALL CONSERVING AND CUTTING. Get real Deval, DeLeo, Murphy -- across the board 25% paycuts for all government employees as a starter. You are working for US. WE can not afford YOU anymore. Get it? Take a look around. The SYSTEM is BROKEN.

It's disturbing to hear Murray and DeLeo saying that an income tax increase is 'off the table'. Compared to sales, cigarette, or gasoline tax increases, an increase in the income tax is much fairer. Income tax increases make the wealthy pay their fair share.

Britain is increasing the income tax on their wealhiest 1 % of residents from 40% to 50 %. Are our politicians so beholden to the weathy and powerful that they won't even consider income tax increases?

Where are the reforms?
These clowns on beacon hill absolutely still DON'T GET IT!
I will absolutely and positively vote against ANY politician who votes for ANY tax increase, the money is there they just adamantly refuse to cut government waste.

Who's protecting the real disadvanteged group- The Middle Class

Some people never learn. The money should go to education? to the poor?
Any proceeds from a sales tax increase will be quickly and quitely funnelled to cronies and Marion-Walsh-wannabies. you library trustess and Essex county retirement board members, people who really need it....

Increasing the sales tax by 20%, which is the proposal, will have the dual effect of decreasing consumer spending, and thus lowering tax revenues over the long term, thus stifling economic activity and prolonging the budget deficit. The consumer is struggling to pay off their own debts, and additional taxes rarely create more government revenue over the long run. A better idea would be to reduce the sales tax, thus stimulating demand for products, creating more jobs for small businesses and driving economic growth

"Look to our neighbors of the north my friend. No sales tax. No income tax. Better roads."

You forgot to mention New Hampshire's 9% meals tax, 12% hotel tax, and sky-high property taxes.

i would rather have the state sales tax increased instead of a gas tax.