Man About Canton: Taxes and More Taxes

DID YOU KNOW …

Governor Deval Patrick’s latest tax proposal is to subject soda and candy to the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax. It is estimated that the tax would raise about $60 million in annual revenue for Massachusetts. It is interesting to note that 35 states already apply their sales tax to soda while 30 states apply the tax to candy. Taxing the sugary treats could help persuade kids to eat less of them, thereby making them healthier in the process. Childhood obesity is a big problem in the state.

Massachusetts is one of the only two states (the other being Rhode Island) with a sales tax rule specifically pertaining to cell phone under-pricing. Taxes are levied according to the actual retail price of a cell phone. This means that if you purchase a cell phone valued at $700 for just $150, you must pay the tax on $700, or about $44 more. Phone companies are asking for the legislature to eliminate the rule.

A legislative committee recently endorsed a proposal that would prohibit handheld cell phone use by drivers, limiting calls to hands-free devices. The bill won the backing of the Committee on Transportation by an 8-0 vote. If the bill is passed by the legislature, it would make Massachusetts the 10th state to prohibit holding a cell phone while driving. The present law bans any form of cell phone use by drivers under 18 and outlaws texting behind the wheel for adults.

The value of an average single-family home in Massachusetts was $361,629 in 2011, down from $406,673 in 2010. In Canton, the average in 2011 was $464,008. In 2010, it was $462,699. Home values have held relatively steady in the town of Canton.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Health recently convened a panel of independent experts, and after reviewing all the evidence, they found that “wind turbines” are not a hazard and do not cause illnesses and have debunked the so-called “wind turbine syndrome.”

The average Major League Baseball player’s salary in 2011 was nearly $3.1 million.

The owner of the commercial building at 222 Bolivar Street has rescinded his earlier decision to donate the building to the town and will instead sell the building. The building was under consideration as a site for a new senior center.

The average weekly sales for a Starbucks store in the United States are $21,373. Now that’s a lot of coffee.

Selectmen recently appointed Michael Brady as a police officer and Ryan Patrician as a firefighter/paramedic.

Stoughton Town Manager Francis T. Crimmins, after less than two somewhat stormy years in that $158,000 position, unexpectedly submitted his resignation effective March 31, 2012. In 2011, Stoughton selectmen voted 3-2 to offer Crimmins a three-year contract. Recently, the five selectmen graded Crimmins on a scale of 1 to 5, and he scored 3.96, with three selectmen giving Crimmins a perfect score of 5. The score put him in the commendable category. Most Stoughton town officials said the sudden resignation came as a complete surprise. Word out of Stoughton is that Crimmins has accepted a high-profile educational position at an area college.

The John F. Kennedy School will be holding is Annual Winter Fling this Saturday, February 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be games, prizes, crafts, raffles, and much more. So come on down for fun for the whole family.

In a low scoring girls’ basketball game, Stoughton High School beat Canton 36-23.

The world champion 55-and-over slow-pitch softball team sponsored by Canton Attorney Glen Hannington will travel to Lakeland, Florida, to play in the Tournament of Champions on February 10, 11 and 12. The Hannington team recently won the World Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, beating out 24 teams. Hannington also sponsors a 70-and-over team that will also be playing in the Florida tournament.

The vacant seat on the Canton Housing Authority that opened up when Ronald Grinnell resigned has developed into somewhat of a political controversy. Current Board of Health member Paul Alfano has decided to jump ship in terms of taking out papers for the vacant seat on the Housing Authority. This was done after former Board of Health member Dr. Richard Levreault pulled papers for the Board of Health, thus averting an Alfano-Levreault showdown. The move by Alfano may have backfired as former Canton Housing Authority member John McSweeney has pulled papers and is backed by some present members of the Housing Authority. Stay tuned.

Cats step with both left legs, then both right legs, when they walk or run. The only other animals to do this are the giraffe and the camel.

Remember, the large print giveth, but the small print taketh away.

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=11448

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Feb 8 2012. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.