State House News Service

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Governor Baker Against ‘Big Increase’ in Gas Tax As Part of Massachusetts Transportation Bill

By Matt Murphy State House News Service With House Speaker Robert DeLeo eyeing a vote in the coming weeks on new transportation revenue, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker on Monday said a "big increase" in the gas tax would be a non-starter for his administration.

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New Paid-Leave Tax Drops Massachusetts in Business Climate Assessment

By Michael P. Norton State House News Service Massachusetts slipped to 36th among states in a business tax climate index released this week by a foundation that promotes lower tax burdens, raising questions about the state's business investment appeal.

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Beacon Hill Dems Choose State’s Rainy Day Fund Over Tax Break for Families With Kids

By Matt Murphy State House News Service Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's proposal to double the tax exemption for dependent children was left out of a $714 million spending bill being debated Wednesday because leadership prioritized building up the state's savings, a top House Democrat said.

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Time To ‘Radically Increase’ Electric Cars in Massachusetts, Senate Climate Change Committee Member Says

Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides told a Senate oversight committee Monday it could expect the early framework for a multi-state pact to reduce carbon emissions from transportation sources by early October, ahead of a legislative summit at Yale. The update came during a tense hearing where Democratic

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Lower Or Abolish Death Taxes on Estates in Massachusetts, Some Legislators Say

By Chris Lisinski STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A long-running debate over the state's estate tax revived on Beacon Hill as the Revenue Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature took up bills this week calling for reforms or outright abolition of the levies charged when assets are passed along following

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State Workers Union: Don’t Tax Our Members for New Paid Family and Medical Leave Program

By Colin A. Young STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Unsatisfied with the progress or lack thereof at the bargaining table, the state's largest public employee union last week called on Governor Charlie Baker's administration to exempt state employees from having to pay into the state's

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Governor Baker Offers Modest Tax Cuts With Revenue Surplus

By Michael P. Norton and Katie Lannan STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who has been open to raising taxes, on Friday outlined a new tax relief proposal that his administration says will benefit 1 million taxpayers with dependents.

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As Joe Kennedy III Fidgets on Decision, Ed Markey Announces More Endorsements

By Chris Lisinski STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE NEWTON — U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy III continues his now-public debate over whether to challenge for U.S. Senator Edward Markey's seat in 2020, a majority of the Massachusetts Legislature — including the top leaders in both branches — are backing the incumbent.