Tag: Massachusetts

Have funds, will travel for those on the dole

Multiply this times 50 and you get a real picture of welfare fraud. Combine that with the $125 billion wasted by the Pentagon and hundreds of billions more frittered away by the Federal, State, and local governments – and you’ve got a true picture of government in action. And we want to give them more power?
Guest Post by Howie Carr
 

Massachusetts’ EBT card holders are spending welfare cash in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, while patronizing or at least accessing ATMs in liquor and tobacco stores, beauty salons and tattoo parlors.

In response to my public records request, the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) turned over 18 months of EBT records from Jan. 1, 2015, to July 1, 2016.

In all, the taxpayers shelled out $321 million in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) to welfare recipients.

Liquor Stores, Beauty Shops, and Bars where EBT cardholders are accessing welfare cash at HowieCarrShow.com.

In the 18-month period, more than $7.3 million in Bay State welfare funds were spent outside the state, including $2.4 million in New Hampshire, $780,000 in Connecticut and $549,000 in the Sunshine State of Florida.

Continue reading “Have funds, will travel for those on the dole”

The Taxman Can’t Do Math

Guest Post by Mark Nestmann

Last month, lawmakers in Massachusetts approved a constitutional amendment that will lead to the departure of many of the state’s wealthiest and most productive citizens. This move is likely to cause tax revenues to drop and real estate values to collapse.

The proposed change imposes a 4% surtax on residents with taxable income of $1 million or more. Currently, the state income tax rate is a flat 5.1%. So, when the measure comes into effect in 2019, the wealthiest taxpayers in Massachusetts will see their state income tax burden nearly double, which will cause many of them to move elsewhere.

Before the surtax comes into effect, it must be endorsed at a constitutional convention and approved by state voters. But judging by the lopsided votes for approval in both chambers of the legislature, the amendment being passed seems a foregone conclusion. The state Senate voted 33–7 in favor of it; the House vote was 102–50.

Continue reading “The Taxman Can’t Do Math”