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High taxes are driving people out of Massachusetts – The Boston Globe

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High taxes are driving people out of Massachusetts – The Boston Globe


Massachusetts is experiencing some of the highest outbound migration of any state. Only California, New York, and Illinois are losing people — and wealth — at a greater rate, according to a recent Pioneer Institute study.

At first glance, sunny California, the open prairies of Illinois, and historic Massachusetts don’t seem to have many similarities. But they do have one common denominator tying them together: high taxes.

And in the Bay State, it’s getting worse.

“In 2021 and 2022, 43 states enacted some form of tax relief,” the study noted. “While Massachusetts contemplated and ultimately raised income taxes during that time, 21 states reduced them.”

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A voter-approved 4 percent income surtax on income exceeding $1 million took effect Jan. 1. According to the Pioneer Institute study, this “will likely further quicken the departure of residents and wealth. The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid 23 percent of state income taxes in 2019, and the amendment is likely to drive that number higher.”

Massachusetts also has the most burdensome estate tax in the nation with a threshold of $1 million. Oregon is the only other state with such a low threshold. The majority of states have no estate tax.

And now the State House has voted to increase taxes on the Massachusetts middle class once again.

Chapter 62F requires the state to issue a rebate to taxpayers if annual tax revenues exceed a statutory cap tied to wage and salary growth. It was intended to return excess revenue to the taxpayers who created the surplus.

A House proposal would turn it into an income transfer program akin to welfare by changing the 62F program from being proportional based on an individual’s tax burden to being “equitable” across all residents no matter how much they paid in taxes.

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“Tax the rich” is a popular refrain in some political quarters. Unfortunately for Massachusetts, a lot of people being hit with these new taxes are not rich. But they are mobile. And they are fleeing Massachusetts in droves to states that won’t treat them like an ATM.

The Legislature and Governor Maura Healey need to do something about this before it’s too late.

For starters, the Senate needs to block the House proposal to turn the state tax rebate program into an income transfer program.

The Legislature also needs to do something about the estate tax.

Healey proposed raising the threshold to $3 million, while former governor Charlie Baker had previously proposed raising the threshold to $2 million and eliminating the “cliff effect” by taxing only the portion of the estate’s value over this threshold. Healey’s proposal also addresses the cliff effect, albeit in a different manner by creating a nonrefundable credit of up to $182,000. The omnibus tax relief package passed by the House on April 13 would increase the threshold to $2 million. The estate tax is by no means a policy that exclusively targets the wealthy. The explosion of home values in Massachusetts means even people of modest means are being impacted by this onerous tax.

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We urge the Senate to follow the governor’s lead and boost the estate tax threshold to $3 million. This would help make the state more competitive while providing a measure of relief to residents suffering from crushing inflation.

Tax reform and reductions would likely help to slow the waterfall of residents leaving. Massachusetts has so much going for it, but people need to be able to afford to live here. After years of successfully fighting off the reputation of “Taxachusetts,” the past few years have seen a return to the bad old days.

This new emphasis on tax increases is making it more difficult for residents to make ends meet. Not only are higher taxes driving people out, they also stifle economic growth, reducing opportunities for those who stay.

Watching our best and brightest leave for Florida, Texas, or New Hampshire is unsustainable. Lawmakers need to shift gears on tax policy immediately if they want to ensure that Massachusetts remains a place where residents can prosper and the economy remains competitive into the future.

State Representative Bradley H. Jones Jr. is the minority leader in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Ross Connolly is regional director for New England at Americans for Prosperity.

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts Students Should Know, These Degrees Pay The Best

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Massachusetts Students Should Know, These Degrees Pay The Best


Whether you’re currently in college and searching for a major or heading off to college soon and don’t know what to study, this list of highest paying degrees might help you decide.

Although studying something you enjoy is usually the route students take, sometimes it’s hard to choose which field you enjoy the most.

Knowing what your degree could earn you once school ends, might be the deciding factor you need.

READ MORE: Highest Paying Jobs on the SouthCoast

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While not every job in a certain field is guaranteed to score you a certain pay day, according to earnings data from the United States Census Bureau several fields offer pretty lofty average earnings here in Massachusetts.

Several are even over six-figures.

Of course science jobs are always in high demand, with matching high paychecks, and technology fields are booming as well. But in Massachusetts, one degree pays significantly more than others.

READ MORE: These Massachusetts’ Colleges Are Among America’s Most Expensive

Overall, the Census Bureau looked at 14 different college and universities degrees and compared these fields based on salary alone. The average pay day for these 14 degrees was an estimated $86,997.

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So which fields came out on top?

Generally careers in the science fields pay best in Massachusetts, while careers in the arts and humanities pay the least. In particular, those considering a degree in visual and performing arts are least likely to be among top earners in the Bay State with a median pay of $64,102.

The following fields however can score you a big pay day when you’re ready to find that first full time job after college.

Massachusetts’ Highest Paying Bachelor Degrees

Ready to chose a college major? Want to try and score the biggest paycheck possible after school is over? Then these are the fields you may want to study.

The United States Census Bureau has ranked bachelor degrees by median earnings and these fields came out on top.

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Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

Top 35 Highest-Paying Jobs on the SouthCoast

Looking to start a new career or not sure which path to head down after high school? Here are the best paying jobs right here on the SouthCoast that could help you decide.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

SouthCoast Teacher Salaries From Lowest to Highest

According to the most recent reports of teacher salaries across Massachusetts (for the year 2019-2020), several SouthCoast school district are among those that pay the best. So how much are the teachers in your school district averaging?

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

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AiVi Nguyen to Moderate Massachusetts Bar Association Webinar “Establishing Citizenship for Diversity Jurisdiction: This is Not What I Remember from Law School!” – Bowditch & Dewey

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AiVi Nguyen to Moderate Massachusetts Bar Association Webinar “Establishing Citizenship for Diversity Jurisdiction: This is Not What I Remember from Law School!” – Bowditch & Dewey


What is the citizenship of limited liability companies? Of a trust? Of a free-spirited backpacker hitchhiking his way around the country? While every lawyer likely knows that the general diversity jurisdiction statute, 28 U.S.C. s. 1332(a), requires complete diversity between all plaintiffs on the one hand and all defendants on the other, recent decisions in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts and the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit highlight the complexities of citizenship and the importance of establishing it early.

On April 3, AiVi Nguyen will moderate a Massachusetts Bar Association webinar featuring Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV and Boston College Law School Professor Sergio Campos who will cover best practices for establishing or disputing jurisdiction based on diversity.

April 3, 2024

4:00 – 5:30 PM

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Mail stolen from U.S. Postal Service mailbox outside Massachusetts post office: Police

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Mail stolen from U.S. Postal Service mailbox outside Massachusetts post office: Police


Police are warning residents after mail was stolen from a U.S. Postal Service mailbox outside a local post office early Monday morning.

A maroon, newer model Jeep Cherokee was allegedly involved in the mail theft behind the Bedford Post Office, according to police.

A Bedford police officer parked at the Bedford Market Place at around 1:30 a.m. on Monday reportedly saw the Jeep pull up to the blue Postal Service mailbox behind the post office at 158 Great Road.

The cop then saw a person get out of the Jeep, open the mailbox, and remove mail from it before jumping back into the Jeep.

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The police officer chased the Jeep down Great Road and onto I-95 before ending the pursuit due to safety concerns. The driver was reportedly operating erratically.

Bedford Police are investigating the incident with help from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Department of Homeland Security.

“We want to warn anyone who may have deposited a check or other mail in the box behind the post office last night that this incident occurred,” said Chief John Fisher.

“Mail theft and checking washing are becoming increasingly common, and all residents should consider delivering their mail only by hand to the U.S. Post Office, or dropping their mail off prior to the final nightly pickup time for blue Postal Service mailboxes,” the chief added.

Police are asking anyone with information on this incident, or anyone who believes they recognize the vehicle involved, to call Bedford Police at 781-275-1212.

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