Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The Mass Pike and the Boston tunnels/Tobin Bridge have tolls. Unless I'm going to Logan Airport, I can go years without paying any tolls.
As for property tax rates, read 'em and weep:
Barnstable County Average RE tax rate: $7.67
Bristol County Average RE tax rate: $11.10
Middlesex County Average RE tax rate: $12.00
Plymouth County Average RE tax rate: $12.07
Essex County Average RE tax rate: $12.18
Norfolk County Average RE tax rate: $12.58
Massachusetts doesn't have property tax debacles like Waterbury. The failed cities have their public schools largely funded by the state. The hell hole Massachusetts cities:
Lawrence $13.68
Fall River $14.58
Brockton $15.54
New Bedford $16.47
Holyoke $19.29
Springfield $19.68
It's pointless to do a Massachusetts vs CT thing. They're more similar than different.
The Mass Pike starts at New York State and ends in Boston. It’s the major east-west Route in the state. For many it’s hard to avoid it. In Connecticut, we don’t have roads we have to avoid.
Tax rates mean little since taxes also depend on assessments. I compared taxes on actual homes in comparable communities. The differences were negligible. Below is a comparison of similar priced and sized homes in Waterbury and New Bedford. The taxes are pretty close.
The same goes if you compare Hartford and Springfield. In fact, Hartford taxes are lower. I agree both states are more similar than different but some here seem to think that property taxes are significantly lower in Massachusetts. This comparison shows differently. Jay
No new taxes. No more tax increases. That's all. That doesn't sound too difficult . That would have a dramatic affect on the welfare of working citizens of the state,. and retired people on fixed incomes. Unless you think the 1.6 % increase by the Feds for Social Security recipients even covers the latest tax increase here, they will be the losers. When we don't grow EVERYONE loses.
Connecticut has the same budget math as all the other blue states. Well north of half the budget is spent propping up poor people. Medicaid is a big slice of it. Education. What do you do? Throw elderly people in Medicaid nursing homes out on the streets? Throw in the towel on public schools in the failed cities? That's how Mississippi does it.
The same goes if you compare Hartford and Springfield. In fact, Hartford taxes are lower. I agree both states are more similar than different but some here seem to think that property taxes are significantly lower in Massachusetts. This comparison shows differently. Jay
You just proved they are lower in MA, specifically comparing to Hartford.
Hartford no longer assesses at 70%, they haven't since 2006 or so. That's why the taxes look so low in your comparison. You can see the assessment values in both your links - they differ by 137K!
This is a PDF showing the mill rate and assessment ratios for Hartford by year
Connecticut has the same budget math as all the other blue states. Well north of half the budget is spent propping up poor people. Medicaid is a big slice of it. Education. What do you do? Throw elderly people in Medicaid nursing homes out on the streets? Throw in the towel on public schools in the failed cities? That's how Mississippi does it.
I would start here. Tip of the ice berg.
Telecommuting is a racket in state government, audit finds
By Chris Powell Oct 9, 2019 Updated Oct 9, 2019 2
Now we know the reason for allowing unionized Connecticut state government employees to telecommute, to work from home over the internet. It's to help them qualify for a state pension without really putting in the required time.
This is spelled out by a state auditors report publicized last week by the Yankee Institute's investigative reporter, Mark Fitch. The auditors detail how an employee of Charter Oak College, the mechanism by which state government bestows college degrees on people without much formal education, quit his job to move to Florida for a job there but was assigned to work part-time remotely for the college even while working full-time out of state. The duration of his remote work turns out to have been exactly the time he needed to qualify for a Connecticut pension.
The auditors discovered that Charter Oak College had no procedures for monitoring the employee's remote work and no records of his logging into the college's computer system.
The college maintains that it was less expensive to keep the employee working part-time remotely than to hire a replacement for him, but this calculation omits the long-term expense of his pension.
Plainly the college was just doing a favor for an employee who was in the good graces of his supervisors even though he was not just quitting his job but refusing to stay in it a few weeks longer to qualify for a pension in the normal way.
The college admits that it did not handle the situation properly, but nothing will be done about it. No one will be disciplined. Being Democratic, the Lamont administration will keep negotiating away to the unions the public's interest in honest and efficient government. And state government will continue to be without any real management at all, since most nominal managers are unionized too.
The fraud at Charter Oak College should be an issue in next year's state legislative campaigns. But that will require the minority party, the Republicans, to find the courage to say something more than that taxes are too high, the mantra that failed in last year's election. The Republicans will have to specify why taxes are too high -- like the subversion of management in state government.
I am not sure what you mean by Connecticut being behind Massachusetts by 60 years. That makes no sense. Connecticut’s higher fuel tax offsets the fact that Massachusetts has tolls. We don’t. I have compared Property taxes in comparable town and Massachusetts and Connecticut and see little difference so Prop 2 1/2 has made little difference. I am not sure why you think Connecticut does not have revenue sharing programs. We do but they are called different names and are structured differently.
I have looked at labor participation rates. Another poster claimed our state’s rate was horrible but I found we were less than 1% different than Massachusetts. Despite what some may claim, Connecticut offers a wide range of job opportunities. Glassdoor named Hartford one of the top five cities for getting a job in the country. Some of our biggest employers are expanding and hiring like crazy. The state and local schools and colleges are working with these employers to train workers for these positions. And studies have shown that Connecticut employees do not have an excessive commute time, certainly no worse than Massachusetts. Jay
Makes no sense?
Mass has very specific laws about policies and procedures. We might disagree about policies but Mass laws are pretty clear. We might not always like it in the state but it is what it is. CT on the other hand is more of a rule of decree.
1) Show me the specific policies that local governments have with spending? Do you or do you not have limitations on spending or can they just spend however they see fit without accountability?
Take a look at this and show us all specifically if local governments are bound by any limits on spending https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudent_man_rule
2) Do you or do you not have anything that limits property tax increases. And no you cannot simply say "Vote them out" or "move" as a deterrence. What laws prevent taxes from increasing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_2%C2%BD
4) Do you have an *independent* inspector general? So if a company rips off the public what is the recourse **cough centerplan cough**. An attorney general is not an inspector general
6) Do you or do you not have qualifications for construction for horizontal and vertical. Mass has Mass Prequals and DCAMM...CT has....nothing.
7) Does CT have state non tribal gaming law? Mass has a gaming commission, three casinos and slot parlor with one still not running (region C). Again the laws are pretty clear with little conflict.
8) Does CT have a marijuana policy or commission? Again Mass legalized and regulated and so far so good. Yes the policy is slow and there's no big rush but small towns are doing quite well with the additional revenue.
CT can change and there are some green shoots. Hartford I think has potential but again it will take time. They need to invest more in their cities. Mass is planning a bit of a change with lottery and educational funding that is going to create an additional shift in the next few years.
You just proved they are lower in MA, specifically comparing to Hartford.
Hartford no longer assesses at 70%, they haven't since 2006 or so. That's why the taxes look so low in your comparison. You can see the assessment values in both your links - they differ by 137K!
This is a PDF showing the mill rate and assessment ratios for Hartford by year
Interesting that they also dropped motor vehicle mill rates recently.
Did you look at the actual taxes paid for these listings? The Hartford house has taxes that are $3,458. The Springfield house taxes are $3,617. The Waterbury house taxes are $4,208 while the New Bedford house is $4,093. They are all a couple hundred bucks difference. That s the point. They are not significantly different for comparable houses. Jay
Mass has very specific laws about policies and procedures. We might disagree about policies but Mass laws are pretty clear. We might not always like it in the state but it is what it is. CT on the other hand is more of a rule of decree.
1) Show me the specific policies that local governments have with spending? Do you or do you not have limitations on spending or can they just spend however they see fit without accountability?
Take a look at this and show us all specifically if local governments are bound by any limits on spending https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudent_man_rule
2) Do you or do you not have anything that limits property tax increases. And no you cannot simply say "Vote them out" or "move" as a deterrence. What laws prevent taxes from increasing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_2%C2%BD
4) Do you have an *independent* inspector general? So if a company rips off the public what is the recourse **cough centerplan cough**. An attorney general is not an inspector general
6) Do you or do you not have qualifications for construction for horizontal and vertical. Mass has Mass Prequals and DCAMM...CT has....nothing.
7) Does CT have state non tribal gaming law? Mass has a gaming commission, three casinos and slot parlor with one still not running (region C). Again the laws are pretty clear with little conflict.
8) Does CT have a marijuana policy or commission? Again Mass legalized and regulated and so far so good. Yes the policy is slow and there's no big rush but small towns are doing quite well with the additional revenue.
CT can change and there are some green shoots. Hartford I think has potential but again it will take time. They need to invest more in their cities. Mass is planning a bit of a change with lottery and educational funding that is going to create an additional shift in the next few years.
Sounds like you should move to Mass. At least their real estate prices are not down 30% from last year.
As for procurement - purchases above a certain dollar amount have to be approved by the town council. No one is buying million dollar equipment with the stroke of a pen and no over sight.
Procurement has nothing to do with nothing so I don't see why you keep harping about it.
It's clear you didn't read the actual auditor's report and only the Yankee Institute article- or did you just read the title of the article? The report did not indicate any charge or finding of fraud and the assertion that telecommuting is to allow employees to "qualify for a state pension without really putting in the required time" is spurious. The report plainly stated the cost of hiring a consultant to replace the relocating employee was five times more expensive than his rate of pay. No, the university did not effectively monitor the remote work according to State policies but nothing in the report indicates the employee did not do the work. If the employee did the work and saved the state a significant amount of money in the process, did they not earn being vested in their pension?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuele
I would start here. Tip of the ice berg.
Telecommuting is a racket in state government, audit finds
By Chris Powell Oct 9, 2019 Updated Oct 9, 2019 2
Now we know the reason for allowing unionized Connecticut state government employees to telecommute, to work from home over the internet. It's to help them qualify for a state pension without really putting in the required time.
This is spelled out by a state auditors report publicized last week by the Yankee Institute's investigative reporter, Mark Fitch. The auditors detail how an employee of Charter Oak College, the mechanism by which state government bestows college degrees on people without much formal education, quit his job to move to Florida for a job there but was assigned to work part-time remotely for the college even while working full-time out of state. The duration of his remote work turns out to have been exactly the time he needed to qualify for a Connecticut pension.
The auditors discovered that Charter Oak College had no procedures for monitoring the employee's remote work and no records of his logging into the college's computer system.
The college maintains that it was less expensive to keep the employee working part-time remotely than to hire a replacement for him, but this calculation omits the long-term expense of his pension.
Plainly the college was just doing a favor for an employee who was in the good graces of his supervisors even though he was not just quitting his job but refusing to stay in it a few weeks longer to qualify for a pension in the normal way.
The college admits that it did not handle the situation properly, but nothing will be done about it. No one will be disciplined. Being Democratic, the Lamont administration will keep negotiating away to the unions the public's interest in honest and efficient government. And state government will continue to be without any real management at all, since most nominal managers are unionized too.
The fraud at Charter Oak College should be an issue in next year's state legislative campaigns. But that will require the minority party, the Republicans, to find the courage to say something more than that taxes are too high, the mantra that failed in last year's election. The Republicans will have to specify why taxes are too high -- like the subversion of management in state government.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis of state-by-state personal income growth figures for the first quarter of 2019 that showed Connecticut near the bottom of the list, placing 48th overall for income growth.
Connecticut residents’ personal income grew only 1.5 percent — the lowest in the eastern half of the country and ahead of only Iowa and South Dakota. Overall growth across the country was down from 4.1 percent in the last quarter of 2018 to 3.4 percent.
According to Donald Klepper-Smith, Chief Economist and Director of Research for DataCore Partners LLC, “the nominal personal income data provides clear evidence of a slowdown.”
“Factoring in inflation and taxes, we now see that real disposable income – the broadest measure of consumer spending power – is basically flat as of 2019,” Klepper-Smith said.
Klepper-Smith noted the flat income growth has “major implications” for Connecticut’s finances.
Previous reports by Pew Charitable Trusts showed Connecticut trailing the rest country in personal income growth since 2007 with an annual growth rate of only .6 percent, compared to the national growth rate of 1.6 percent.
A withering assessment of Connecticut’s economic and fiscal problems was used by Pioneer Institute — a think-tank based in Boston — as an example of why Massachusetts should not raise taxes on high-income earners.
Pioneer Institute’s study “Back to Taxachusetts” tracks ten years of Connecticut data from 2008 to 2017 and is rife with sections entitled “Corporate exodus,” “Stagnant economy,” and “Voting with their feet,” to show Connecticut’s tax policies have left the state failing, whereas Massachusetts has become an economic powerhouse.
“Connecticut provides a real-world, sobering example of how a seemingly attractive tax-the-rich scheme can backfire badly on a state, turning rosy projections of revenue gains to real-life losses, and damaging business confidence in the process,” wrote Gregory W. Sullivan, research director for Pioneer Institute.
You took the time to write all this BS only in the end to tell us you feel sorry for rich people ?
And you know that the "Pioneer institute" is Massachusetts' equivalent to Connecticut's "Yankee institute"? These people don't care about you.
Mass has very specific laws about policies and procedures. We might disagree about policies but Mass laws are pretty clear. We might not always like it in the state but it is what it is. CT on the other hand is more of a rule of decree.
1) Show me the specific policies that local governments have with spending? Do you or do you not have limitations on spending or can they just spend however they see fit without accountability?
Take a look at this and show us all specifically if local governments are bound by any limits on spending https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prudent_man_rule
2) Do you or do you not have anything that limits property tax increases. And no you cannot simply say "Vote them out" or "move" as a deterrence. What laws prevent taxes from increasing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposition_2%C2%BD
4) Do you have an *independent* inspector general? So if a company rips off the public what is the recourse **cough centerplan cough**. An attorney general is not an inspector general
6) Do you or do you not have qualifications for construction for horizontal and vertical. Mass has Mass Prequals and DCAMM...CT has....nothing.
7) Does CT have state non tribal gaming law? Mass has a gaming commission, three casinos and slot parlor with one still not running (region C). Again the laws are pretty clear with little conflict.
8) Does CT have a marijuana policy or commission? Again Mass legalized and regulated and so far so good. Yes the policy is slow and there's no big rush but small towns are doing quite well with the additional revenue.
CT can change and there are some green shoots. Hartford I think has potential but again it will take time. They need to invest more in their cities. Mass is planning a bit of a change with lottery and educational funding that is going to create an additional shift in the next few years.
Wow, talk about arbitrary pot shots. Most states have no written limits on taxes. The accountability is handled by voting. Local leaders that don’t keep taxes in check are voted out. I just showed is that despite Massachusetts having limits on tax increases comparable homes in comparable communities in both states have comparable taxes.
Connecticut does have laws on affordable housing but it is not forced upon towns. You can read it below.
We do not need an Inspector General. It just more government. Despite your coughing fit alluding to problems with Dunkin Donuts Stadium, the issues have been resolved and the courts are handling the claims. I am not sure what would be different had we had an IG. It’s not needed.
Connecticut has been addressing its pension problems to the satisfaction of the bonding markets as witnessed by its improved credit ratings. The Yankee Institute is hardly objective so it’s opinions are hardly unbiased.
Of course Connecticut has laws that cover contractors. It’s in our licensing regulations.
Gaming in our state are regulated by the Gaming Division of the Department of Consumer Protection. Marijuana is also regulated by the Department of Consumer Protection under its Medical Marijuana Program. There are few problems with these that I know of. Hope this addresses your concerns. Jay
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
