BOSTON — A month after Attorney General Maura Healey caught gun owners by surprise with a new interpretation of state firearms laws, citing the prevalence of what she described as illegal "copycat" assault weapons, questions remain as to how she arrived at the decision and whether Gov. Baker knew of the plan in advance.
Holden resident David Reinhart wanted to know more, so he filed a Freedom of Information Act request with Healey's office, asking for documents he believed would show how Healey came to her conclusion.
The Tax Foundation recently released a study of states and the per capita burden of excise taxes on their citizens. Vermont came in first (that's bad) with an average Vermonters paying $1,029 in state and local excise taxes per year. We blew away second place Nevada, which came in at $878 and last place Wyoming at just $285.
The Tax Foundation explains, "excise taxes are collected on specific types of transactions, not a wide range of general goods. Some of the most common excise taxes include gas taxes, cigarette taxes, and taxes on the purchase of beer, wine, and liquor. Others include taxes on the purchase of amusements, insurance premiums, and pari-mutuels."
