State Rep. Lewis Votes in Favor of State Transportation Bill

Winchester State Rep. Jason Lewis voted in favor of the $500 million transportation funding bill that passed 97-55 Monday evening.

Stoneham's State Rep. Jason Lewis voted in favor of the House's $500 million transportation funding bill that passed 97-55 Monday evening. The bill passed Monday by the House was at odds with a more ambitious proposal put forth by Gov. Deval Patrick, who called for $1.9 billion in new revenue to fund transportation and education initiatives in the state. Patrick had said he would veto the $500 million bill. "I voted in favor of the bill in the House because I believe that having a strong transportation system is essential to our state's economic competitiveness and growth," Lewis said. "The new funding for transportation that is in this legislation is going to do a number of important things for our transportation system. First, it will …

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Clark: Time For Common Sense Budgeting

State Sen. Katherine said budget priorities include local aid and schools; investing in early education and care; supporting seniors, veterans and vulnerable citizens; and transportation.

Patrick Budget Eliminates 44 Tax Deductions

While specific deductions would end, personal exemptions would double under the Patrick budget.

A recent analysis of Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed budget finds that it eliminates 44 tax breaks that benefit a large slice of Massachusetts taxpayers. Patrick's $34.8 billion fiscal 2014 budget includes not only a 1 percentage point hike in the income tax – from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent – but the end of such deductions such as the capital gains from the sale of a person's primary home, college tuition, and contributions to a health savings account. The analysis, by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, found that the eliminations would raise an additional $1 billion for the commonwealth. But Patrick's assistant secretary for fiscal policy, Gregory R. Mennis, told The Republican that that amount would be offset by the doubling of …

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How Patrick's Budget Proposal Affects Stoneham's Local Aid

Stoneham would receive a net $416,529 increase in state aid, mostly in the form of Chapter 70 education funding, under Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed fiscal 2014 budget.

Last Wednesday, Gov. Deval Patrick submitted his $34.8 billion budget to the Legislature. The ambitious proposal for the coming fiscal year would make significant investments in education and transportation by raising $1.9 billion in revenue, through a combination of tax increases and eliminating some tax breaks. On the local aid front, Stoneham would receive a net increase (accounting for assessments the town pays to the state) of $416,529, mostly in the form of an increase in Chapter 70 education funding. State Rep. Jason Lewis, who represents Stoneham, has filed legislation that would update and reform the Chapter 70 formula, which determines how much money each school district receives annually in state funding, and to help …

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Patrick's Budget: Can State Afford It Right Now?

The governor's budget proposal for fiscal 2014 would raise $1.9 billion in new revenues through a combination of tax increases and eliminating some tax breaks. Is the state's economy ready for this?

After years of treading water in the state budget, Gov. Deval Patrick has put forth an ambitious $34.8 billion proposal for the coming fiscal year that would make significant investments in education and transportation by raising $1.9 billion in revenue, through a combination of tax increases and eliminating some tax breaks. The question: Is the state's economy ready for this? To raise that funding, Patrick's proposal would increase the income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent, while doubling personal exemptions. It'd also lower the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent. Several tax breaks for both personal income and businesses would be eliminated. The gas tax would be indexed to inflation, ensuring gradual increases in what …

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