> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.newbostonpost.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Mike Minogue Proposes Gas Tax Holiday, Lower Utility Fees, Faster Home Permitting
- URL: https://www.newbostonpost.com/mike-minogue-gas-tax-utility-fees-home-permitting/
- Published: 2026-09-10T16:47:42.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T19:37:12.000Z
- Description: Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue unveiled a policy blueprint calling for a gas tax holiday when prices top $4 per gallon, lower state-mandated utility fees and faster permitting for single-family homes.
- Author: State House News Service
- Tags: News, Politics, Massachusetts, #lead, #morning-bell, morning-bell, #1, Mike Minogue

Colin A. Young  
State House News Service

From using artificial intelligence to reduce the state's notorious traffic to canceling the midcentury net-zero emissions commitment and temporarily suspending the state gas tax when pump prices climb, Mike Minogue began Thursday to detail his "Blueprint for a Better Future."

The Republican gubernatorial nominee's campaign released a document outlining the plans he described at a campaign stop at Shea Concrete in Amesbury on Thursday morning. It describes many of the things Minogue has made central to his pitch to voters over the last year – a pledge to "stop the overspending, expose the waste and corruption, and provide transparency" via audits of the Legislature and state budget, nonspecific plans to cut taxes, and a previously detailed healthcare strategy.

The [blueprint Minogue shared Thursday](https://minogueforma.com/blueprint-for-a-better-future/?ref=newbostonpost.com) also includes more specific commitments and touches on a wider variety of issues. It is structured around his campaign catchphrase "AAOK," an acronym for accountability, affordability, opportunity and keeping communities safe. 

"It's time to take our state back. It's time to build a Massachusetts that works for its people. I don't believe Massachusetts is beyond repair. I still have hope. We all should," Minogue said. "The problem is that our government is smothering the American Dream. Massachusetts is working for some, but not all. We're going to change that. And we're going to do it together."

Gov. Maura Healey, the Democrat whom Minogue is hoping to unseat in November, brought up his blueprint without prompting Thursday morning while taking questions from reporters at her own campaign event. She said she was "interested to see what Mike Minogue's blueprint has to say."

"Mike Minogue's blueprint should explain how it is that he supports Donald Trump, how it is that Donald Trump is a good thing for Massachusetts," Healey said. She added, "But if he doesn't explain to people in Massachusetts how Donald Trump is helping Massachusetts, why he thinks that's a good idea, that's not a blueprint. If he doesn't explain how he, as governor, would stand up to the damage that Donald Trump is doing to our residents, to our healthcare system, to our economy, that's not a blueprint."

Under the accountability bucket, Minogue says he would "\[a\]udit the state legislature and the entire state budget with an outside auditor" and "\[u\]tilize third-party healthcare auditors to find waste, fraud, and abuse to ensure the care and dollars get to the patient." A 2024 voter law authorized Auditor Diana DiZoglio to audit the Legislature, an effort that has been mired in controversy, and independent outside auditors already look at the state's books each year as comprehensive financial reports are prepared.

He said he would create a "Massachusetts Spending Dashboard" to provide real-time transparency on the fiscal year 2027 budget and would launch "a statewide competitive bidding process that reduces single-source contracts and validates the integrity of lowest bidder compliance."

Minogue also said he would address affordability by cutting taxes and with a promise to "\[c\]ut state-mandated energy utility fees on day one," but his blueprint does not describe how he envisions doing that unilaterally. Healey last year directed the Department of Public Utilities to review all ratepayer charges to determine whether they could be eliminated or reduced, and further changes (as well as tax cuts) could require legislative approval.

The Republican nominee said too that he would "\[c\]ancel the unfunded, unachievable Net Zero mandate," referring to the state's legal commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050\. Instead, Minogue says he would "\[f\]ocus on energy innovation that would lower energy costs for our people and hospitals, stimulate manufacturing, and protect the ocean and our fishing industry."

He also described a plan to both speed up housing construction timelines and relieve some of the budget pressures that are stressing municipalities. Minogue pledged that his administration would give local governments "more of their tax dollars back, up to 35-40%, compared to the 26% they retain today, provided the towns and cities eliminate the building stretch codes and reduce permitting times for single-family homes to 45 days or less, compared to 1.5 years today."

With an eye toward economic opportunity, Minogue said he would lease or sell state land (though not conservation land) to developers, builders or companies that focus on manufacturing and investment in high tech, life sciences, defense, energy and space development. He pledged to hire 25,000 veterans by the end of his first term and said he would incentivize teachers and medical professionals to stay in Massachusetts with tax incentives and loan payment programs. 

To address the state's stifling traffic, Minogue said he would create digital maps and use AI "coordinated with traffic command centers." His plan to provide drivers with relief at the pump would have the state impose a gas tax holiday whenever prices climb to more than $4 per gallon, while he would also work toward the elimination of the state gas tax, the blueprint says.

The blueprint's section on keeping communities safe is the least detailed of the four. Healey has repeatedly sought to associate Minogue with Trump's federal immigration enforcement efforts, and Minogue has said he would work to bring the temperature down around immigration if elected governor.

The blueprint says Minogue would "\[r\]ecognize and value the contributions of immigrants who work, build businesses, and help strengthen Massachusetts. At the same time, Mike will prioritize removing violent criminals and drug dealers and end sanctuary state policies. With compassion and common sense, Massachusetts can be a place where everyone can live the American dream."

The section also includes general statements like, "Provide girls fair and safe sports and a right to privacy" and "Protect our constitutional rights."

It also says that Minogue would appoint "a strong parole board that prioritizes and protects the safety of our people and eliminates cashless bail," though the Parole Board does not have any involvement with the pre-trial bail process and instead operates on the other end of the justice system. He would also seek mandatory jail time for anyone convicted of violence against law enforcement.

\[Katie Castellani contributed to this report.\]