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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax -- Mass is in the middle of the pack for total tax burden, way bel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax -- Mass is in the middle of the pack for total tax burden, way below places like Mississippi for example. "Taxachussetts" is catchy, and MA is culturally liberal, so the perception sticks.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
If you're a jerk and you're ugly you're gonna get called ugly more often than if you're just ugly. Massachusetts has a lot of stuff wrong with it governmentally and culturally (none of which have much to do with where the state falls on a left/right axis) so nobody is gonna cut it a break when it comes to taxing people.
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lsllc 6y ago
While we may be middle of the pack, we do have a lot of taxes: Income tax, sales tax, gas tax, meals tax, property tax, vehicle excise tax and "use tax" (that's where if you buy something like a TV in tax free NH, you're supposed to declare it on your MA Form-1 tax form and pay the sales tax on it). Then you get into the astronomical MWRA water & sewer rates and then to town garbage pickup charges etc. (in addition to the property taxes). Finally if the local fire department/tax payer funded ambulance ever gives you a ride to the hospital, expect a $1500/mile charge there. It certainly can add up!
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  Agreed. We're middle of the road as far as income tax goes. Start adding in things like sales tax, fees paid to government, sin taxes, etc. and the net tax burden is pretty high. Also, local governments very much have a "wring out every cent we can" attitude. Places full of rich people who step in line tax the crap out of people. Places like New Bedford and Fitchburg know that if they charge people more than a token amount for trash they'll just be pulling it out of the river.
  - bostonpete 6y ago
    The link that the GP posted is suggests we're middle of the road as far as total tax burden, not income tax specifically.
    - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
      We're in the top ten according to the "total revenue" graph and top 20 (or maybe we were 21 or 22, I didn't really count accurately and don't feel like going back, solidly in the top half in any case) in terms of marginal rate.
- jcranmer 6y ago
  > "use tax" (that's where if you buy something like a TV in tax free NH, you're supposed to declare it on your MA Form-1 tax form and pay the sales tax on it). That's been present in every state I've ever lived in. Illinois even had a "here's a number to fill in if you don't want to calculate it."
  - sgerenser 6y ago
    New York and North Carolina have that as well. I imagine all states with a sales tax probably do now (frankly it’s just a smart move on their part to avoid losing a large source of revenue to untaxed online purchases) “We estimate households with your income spend about X$ per year on out of state purchases. Enter $Y for use tax owed?”

throwaway0a5e 6y ago

If you're a jerk and you're ugly you're gonna get called ugly more often than if you're just ugly. Massachusetts has a lot of stuff wrong with it governmentally and culturally (none of which have much to do with where the state falls on a left/right axis) so nobody is gonna cut it a break when it comes to taxing people.

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lsllc 6y ago

While we may be middle of the pack, we do have a lot of taxes: Income tax, sales tax, gas tax, meals tax, property tax, vehicle excise tax and "use tax" (that's where if you buy something like a TV in tax free NH, you're supposed to declare it on your MA Form-1 tax form and pay the sales tax on it). Then you get into the astronomical MWRA water & sewer rates and then to town garbage pickup charges etc. (in addition to the property taxes). Finally if the local fire department/tax payer funded ambulance ever gives you a ride to the hospital, expect a $1500/mile charge there. It certainly can add up!

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
Agreed. We're middle of the road as far as income tax goes. Start adding in things like sales tax, fees paid to government, sin taxes, etc. and the net tax burden is pretty high. Also, local governments very much have a "wring out every cent we can" attitude. Places full of rich people who step in line tax the crap out of people. Places like New Bedford and Fitchburg know that if they charge people more than a token amount for trash they'll just be pulling it out of the river.
- bostonpete 6y ago
  The link that the GP posted is suggests we're middle of the road as far as total tax burden, not income tax specifically.
  - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
    We're in the top ten according to the "total revenue" graph and top 20 (or maybe we were 21 or 22, I didn't really count accurately and don't feel like going back, solidly in the top half in any case) in terms of marginal rate.
jcranmer 6y ago
> "use tax" (that's where if you buy something like a TV in tax free NH, you're supposed to declare it on your MA Form-1 tax form and pay the sales tax on it). That's been present in every state I've ever lived in. Illinois even had a "here's a number to fill in if you don't want to calculate it."
- sgerenser 6y ago
  New York and North Carolina have that as well. I imagine all states with a sales tax probably do now (frankly it’s just a smart move on their part to avoid losing a large source of revenue to untaxed online purchases) “We estimate households with your income spend about X$ per year on out of state purchases. Enter $Y for use tax owed?”