Page 14 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023 Massachusetts Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program’s Winter Heating Season to Begin November 1 Applications are now open for eligible Massachusetts households to apply for fi nancial assistance this heating season (Nov. 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024) Oct. 30, 2023 (BOSTON) – The Massachusetts Executive Offi ce of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) is pleased to announce November 1 as the start of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) 20232024 winter heating season. LIHEAP is a free, statewide service funded by the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helps eligible households stay warm during the winter months by paying a portion of winter heating bills. Applications for home energy assistance are currently being accepted online at toapply. org/massliheap, and incomeeligible households may receive fi nancial help to off set heating bills from November 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024. Both homeowners and renters can apply online or through local administering agencies for LIHEAP assistance. Households must meet specifi c eligibility requirements to qualify for aid, which will be paid directly to their heating vendor. Eligibility is based on several factors, including household size and combined gross annual income of residents 18 and older. Qualifying households – including those with the cost of heat included in the rent – can receive assistance for all sources of heat, including oil, electricity, natural gas, propane, kerosene, wood and coal. “The Massachusetts home energy assistance program is free, because no resident should have to worry about heating their home during the wintertime,” said Ed Augustus Jr., Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities. “High fuel costs can have a devastating eff ect on household budgets and can even endanger Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents. We encourage anyone who needs heating assistance to explore their eligibility by applying online or visiting the nearest administering agency. And to please share the information with loved ones or neighbors who could benefi t from this free resource.” For more information, or to fi nd your local LIHEAP agency, visit www.toapply.org/MassLIHEAP. About EOHLC The Executive Offi ce of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) was established in 2023 to create more homes and lower housing costs in every region. EOHLC also distributes funding to municipalities, oversees the state-aided public housing portfolio, and operates the state’s EA family shelter. New Tax Foundation report shows Mass. is 5th 1. On Dec. 1, 1959, 12 countries signed off on the Antarctic Treaty, which created what? 2. How are The Three Stooges, The Supremes and Alvin and the Chipmunks similar? 3. When is a legal case almost like a cake? 4. On Dec. 2, 2001, what energy-trading company fi led for bankruptcy? 5. What country’s capital has the word “New” in its name? 6. What animal’s meat is not called by its name on restaurant menus? 7. December 3 is the fi rst day of Advent; what were the fi rst Advent calendars made of? 8. Whose fi rst novel was highest taxed state in the country at $8,101 per capita Florida is 3rd lowest ($4,405) and New Hampshire ranks 20 places better at $5,426 R ecently the Tax Foundation released a new report that looks at state and local tax collections per capita in each state as of fi scal year (FY) 2021, the most recent year for which full state-bystate data are available. Their report shows that Massachusetts ranks 5th highest in the country. Of the two top destinations for people leaving the Commonwealth, New Hampshire comes in at 25th and Florida is the 3rd est at 47th low. New York is the highest at $10,266 in state and local tax collections per person, with Connecticut ($9,458), California ($9,175), New Jersey ($8,303) and Massachusetts ($8,101) rounding out the top fi ve. This newest report from the Tax Foundation does not account for the new income tax surtax or the new marriage penalty, which will only increase the overall tax burden for Massachusetts taxpayers. The Tax Foundation is a Washington, D.C. based nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank that is considered a gold standard for national and state tax analysis. “Despite their lip service to our current predicament, State House politicians continue to pass new, damaging tax hikes like the income surtax of last year and the marriage penalty of this year. This is in addition to ideas like Governor Maura Healey’s local-option transfer tax. It is worth noting that even before all these new tax hikes can be entered into the equation, Massachusetts already ranks 5th highest in the nation for tax collections per capita. When State House politicians wonder why so many taxpayers are leaving Massachusetts, it’s because 45 other states have a lower tax burden per capita than Massachusetts,” noted Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Spokesperson/Board Member Paul D. Craney. “New Hampshire and Florida are the two top destinations that Massachusetts taxpayers fl ee to. Governor Healey, Speaker Ron Mariano, and Senate President Karen Spilka should be doing everything they can to compete with these two states. Their low tax burden should be a goal for what Massachusetts politicians strive for,” continued Craney. “Governor Healey and State House politicians need to realize they cannot tax their way out of their spending problem. These high tax policies do nothing but make Massachusetts an unaff ordable place to live, retire, and do business in,” concluded Craney. According to the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance’s Mission Statement, it “advocates for fi scal responsibility, transparency, and accountability in state government and increased economic opportunity for the people of our Commonwealth.” originally titled “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, Containing a Faithful Record of the Perambulations, Perils, Travels, Adventures and Sporting Transactions of the Corresponding Members”? 9. How are Pandora and Eve similar? 10. December 4 is National Cookie Day; according to Guinness World Records, the largest fortune cookie ever was created in 2022 in Boston Answers and weighed about how many pounds: 1, 2 or 3? 11. In what movie is the line “Some people are worth melting for”? 12. The Commonwealth of Dominica has created the fi rst marine protected reserve for what? 13. On Dec. 5, 1782, U.S. President Martin Van Buren was born, who would have the nicknames “Red Fox of Kinderhook” and “The Little Magician”; what state was he from? 14. What U.S. national organization is female lineage-based? 15. Reportedly, a Venice, Calif., book club in 1995 started reading James Joyce’s last book and fi nished it in October 2023; what is the book’s name? 16. In English, what does BMW stand for? 17. December 6 is Saint Nicholas Day; the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” is more commonly know by what fi rst line? 18. What is a cluster of bananas called? 19. How are blue, hermit and snow similar? 20. On Dec. 7, 1956, what basketball player was born whose last name is also in the name of a Muppet? 1. A peaceful zone to be protected for cooperative scientifi c research 2. They are groups of three. 3. In a tort, which is a legal term meaning a wrongful act that is not a breach of contract. (A torte is a type of cake.) 4. Enron 5. India (New Delhi) 6. Deer (venison) 7. Wood (in Germany) 8. Charles Dickens’ (a serialized novel better known as “The Pickwick Papers”) 9. They were earth’s first females, according to Greek mythology and the Bible, respectively. 10. 3 (3 lbs., 3 oz. and 6 x 7 inches) 11. “Frozen” 12. Sperm whales 13. New York 14. Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) 15. “Finnegans Wake” 16. Bavarian Motor Works 17. “’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house…” 18. A hand 19. They are types of crab. 20. Larry Bird (Big Bird)
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