Do you miss massachusetts? (Boston, Worcester: wedding, to buy, standard of living)

[findingmesomeday]

Wow, we're getting a bargain. No cat licensing fees!

[Stockholmaren]

Originally Posted by webfootma

I think MA earns the "Taxachussetts" reputation because of all the user fees and other "hidden" taxes you find living here. Yes, they don't tax food or clothing. But have you seen the use tax on your gas/electricity? The state income tax is ridiculous. No matter how few dependents we claim, no matter how large a refund we might get from the feds, every year, for the past 10 years, we've owed the Commonwealth money!

Each town has its own property tax rate and overrriding it for schools and services is a town by town issue. My property taxes have doubled in 10 years. And they were high to begin with. So that's not a state tax, but it's a tax nonetheless. I pay to license my dog and then I pay my town for a piece of paper that says I've licensed my dog. Just recently my town started charging for use of the town dump. There is no public garbage hauling service and the private haulers charge a fortune. The majority of people here just took their own stuff to the dump (when it was open--the hours were cut back drastically every year). Why did they charge this year? Because out of towners are using our dump. Why? Because they're not policing it. So we have to pay for them to hopefully police it and maybe, just maybe, the dump will be open more than 8 hours a week this coming year.

I have no idea of taxes are better or worse than elsewhere. I've lived in a lot of different states and the tax structures are so complicated, it's hard to compare. But the feeling of getting nickel-and-dimed to death in MA leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I think the “Taxachussetts” nickname isn’t quite justified. Compared to many other states, the tax burden is less.

CNNMoney.com: Taxes by state 2005, by rate (MA is 32nd)

For the city of Boston, it’s somewhat higher and this even shows the breakdown for income, property, sales, and auto., but it’s far from the highest taxed cities.

CNNMoney.com: Big city taxes 2005, by rank

[findingmesomeday]

The article is a bit misleading. Yes, CT has high taxes, but NH has NONE, ME is reasonable and VT is not too bad.

[katzenfreund]

Originally Posted by webfootma

Wow, we're getting a bargain. No cat licensing fees!

LOL ... and no "flush tax"!

[baystater]

Originally Posted by webfootma

Each town has its own property tax rate and overrriding it for schools and services is a town by town issue. My property taxes have doubled in 10 years. And they were high to begin with. So that's not a state tax, but it's a tax nonetheless.

Yes your taxes have doubled because the value of your house as double, tripled from 1991 - 2006. Sorry don't feel that bad for you because those ridiculous housing prices have driven out a lot of good people that would have added to the Mass's economy and would have probably helped your tax burden.
Also I currently living in NJ. (get me out of here!) if there is any state that deserves the "taxachusettes" moniker it NJ. My Girlfriend owns a
1800sqft town home and the property taxes on that home are $9,000.00 a year. I'm not joking. I know people in more affluent areas that are paying $15,000 - $25000 a year. And to be honest these houses are really nothing all that special. Plus on top of that we just found out form the Governor of NJ. that the state has not paid into it retirement fund for the last 10 years. So where do you think there going to get the money to cover the retiring state workers?
One last thing Do you guys think we should start a new tread on this topic?

[surfingatwork]

Originally Posted by katzenfreund

Well, I can tell you that Maryland was no better, taxes on your electric bill, phone bill, there was even a $15 flush tax on every water bill, our property tax here is actually lower than in MD and we also paid plenty for trash removal in MD. We did have trash pick up at the last place we lived, but the place before that, we had to take our trash to a "dump" and they charged each time you went, you had to buy a coupon book. Also had dog and CAT License fees, even though cats were supposed to be inside only, strange huh?

In my town (in massachusetts) i either have to hire a private trash pick up service or pay an annual fee ($30) for a sticker to use the town dump BUT if I use the dump I have to buy special garbage bags. 5 bags cost $6.75 (which lasts less than 2 weeks).

[findingmesomeday]

Ugh! I'm waiting for the trash bag requirement! It's bad enough that they have stringent requirements on what you can and can't dump at the dump. For instance, no cardboard boxes, cereal boxes, etc, in the trash area--however, the cardboard recycler is ALWAYS full and never accessible! I got fined once for taking my cardboard to the trash area but I fought it.

For Baystater: Yes, our house has appreciated, ridiculously so during some years, but in the past few years, real estate values have slid back down. Property taxes have not. One of the things we liked about this town was it's lack of big business: we don't have a Starbucks, a Dunkin Donuts, etc., but on the other hand....we residents have to pick up a LOT of the tax burden. The schools seem to want more money every year. The town goes over its snow removal budget every year (how they did that this past winter when we had virtually NO snow is beyond me, but they claim they went over their budget...), the public works dept wants a new town garage, the police and fire departments want new homes, the seniors want a new senior center. Part of the reason the town keeps having to come back to us is that the state screws them over on school funding, capital improvement reimbursements etc.

I think they should tax the developers coming in here, but they'd only pass it along to the buyer, ultimately.

Ten years ago, it was a quaint town of 10,000. We have about 13,000 now and the schools are feeling the pinch. We have more kids per capita than any other town in Massachusetts. I really like this town though. It's the state I want to leave. I wish I could somehow take the town with me!

[surfingatwork]

trash bag requirement's probably on it's way. a lot of towns in southeastern mass use the trash bags. my town's also extremely strict when it comes to recycling. they've got a bin at the dump for everything and if you want to bring large items like for instance a desk you have to pay extra. it's crazy.

[jennabugs]

Yes! I miss it, but not the weather

I grew up in Westborough, went to college in Lowell, and lived in Boston for 5 years after college. Met my now husband there - he is in the Air Force, so we have lived in Los Angeles, and now Monterey, CA area while he attends graduate school.

I LOVE Boston and we both miss it. We won't probally ever return due to his job, but it's a great city.

[momto4spadas]

Nope. Don't miss it at all. I spent the first 23 years of my life there and have never looked back. Life is so much bigger than this little postage stamp piece of land. People are loud, the accent is like fingernails on a chalkboard, people are impolite and miserable, terrible drivers, dark winters... My family has lived there for over 125 years and my sister and I were the first ones to get out! I'm now in NJ which is strangely similar to MA in the same areas mentioned above but with the saving graces of NYC close by, the beautiful Jersey Shore and is about 7-10 degrees warmer than MA which is HUGE during the winter. I have to admit, though, that nothing beats a NE autumn afternoon, a good lobster roll, steamers straight out of the water & REAL homemade ice cream from Kimball's in Westford/Littleton.