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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2022 Page 21 rate than earned income, especially considering the multi-billions in historic revenue surpluses?” asked Ford. “The Massachusetts Legislature had a great opportunity to lower the capital gains tax, which taxes economic growth,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “Unfortunately they refused to lower it and in fact, their legislature’s ballot question this November hopes to increase the tax from 12 percent to 17 percent for some earners. It’s clear the Legislature wants to bring us back to Taxachusetts.” Amendment opponents again said that this amendment is premature and urged the House not to act on tax reductions one at a time but instead to wait and consider Gov. Baker’s comprehensive tax reduction package which might be voted on in a few weeks. Reps. Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick), the sponsor of the amendment and Rep. Mark Cusack (D-Braintree), the main opponent of the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call for a comment. (A “Yes” vote is for reducing capital gains tax from 12 percent to 5 percent. A “No” vote is against the reduction). Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Donald Wong Yes INCREASE TAX BREAK FOR SENIORS (H 4700) House 31-125, rejected an amendment that would increase by $1,005 (from $750 to $1,755) the maximum tax credit which seniors over 65 who qualify, can receive under the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit Law. The law applies to seniors with homes valued at less than $884,000 and who earn $62,000 or less for a single individual who is not the head of a household; $78,000 for a head of household; and $93,000 for married couples fi ling a joint return. Also to qualify, if you are a homeowner, your property tax payments, together with half of your water and sewer expense, must exceed 10 percent of your total Massachusetts income for the tax year. If you are a renter, 25 percent of your annual Massachusetts rent must exceed 10 percent of your total Massachusetts income for the tax year. Amendment supporters said this will help seniors on fi xed incomes who are having a diffi cult time as infl ation and the cost of food and gas soar. Amendment opponents again said that this amendment is premature and urged the House not to act on tax reductions one at a time but instead to wait and consider Gov. Baker’s comprehensive tax reduction package which might be voted on in a few weeks. (A “Yes” vote is for the increased tax credit of $1,005. A “No” vote is against it). Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Donald Wong Yes GAS TAX SUSPENSION (H 4700) House 32-124, rejected an amendment that would have suspended the state’s 24-centsper-gallon gas tax for 60 days. The measure also requires the state to use money from its General Fund to cover transportation costs, normally funded by the gas tax, such as road and bridge maintenance, during the twomonth holiday. “The gasoline tax relief would help individuals with the rising costs of transportation, groceries, goods and services,” said sponsor Rep. Paul Frost (R-Auburn). “Democrats and Republicans came together in Connecticut to temporarily eliminate their state gasoline tax and there is no reason we can’t provide that immediate relief for the residents and businesses here in Massachusetts.” Rep. William Straus (D-Mattapoisett) said the tax is currently paid by distributors, not directly by consumers at the pump. He noted that the amendment does not assure that the tax cut will be passed along to consumers. “If Rep. Straus is claiming the savings won’t be passed down to the consumer than that can be addressed through the attorney general or Rep. Straus could’ve offered a further amendment to address the issue when it was on the fl oor instead of making it an excuse not to vote for it,” responded Frost. “Rep. Straus wasn’t interested in making it work for Massachusetts residents or businesses but rather chose to grandstand against much needed tax and cost relief.” (A “Yes” vote is for the suspension of the gas tax. A “No” vote is against the suspension). Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Donald Wong Yes REDUCE GAMING TAX (S 2844) Senate 4-35 rejected an amendment that would reduce from 20 percent to 10 percent the gaming excise tax for in-person betting and from 35 percent to 12.5 percent the tax for mobile bets and daily fantasy sports. “This amendment creates a much more practical accounting for taxes that reflects the market realities that are present in the sports wagering industry across the nation,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). “If you want to have a successful sports wagering business in the commonwealth then the tax rates in the bill have to be more realistic and practical.” Senate Ways and Means chair Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport) urged senators to defeat the amendment. “One of the missions of this particular bill was to provide the best benefi t for the commonwealth’s citizens and taxpayers, not the best benefi t for the online gaming operators that want to work here.” (A Yes” vote is for the reduction. A “No” vote is against it). Sen. Brendan Crighton No PROHIBIT CREDIT CARD USE FOR SPORTS BETTING (S 2844) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment to a section of the sports betting bill that prohibits a credit card from being used to place bets. The amendment clarifi es that any use of credit, whether the credit card itself or some other third-party, is prohibited. Amendment supporters said that without the amendment, a consumer could link a credit card to an online payment system, such as PayPal, or use a credit card to purchase sports betting gift cards at retailers like 711, Walmart and various gas stations. “Prohibiting credit card use, particularly for those with a gambling addiction, will prevent consumers from going into insurmountable debt,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford). “If the commonwealth is going to allow this form of gambling, then we have a responsibility to protect the public by ensuring all forms of credit are not allowed. We cannot leave significant consumer protections in the hands of a profi t-driven industry, and this amendment ensures there are no credit loopholes for third-party payment methods like gift cards or online payment systems.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.. During the week of April 2529, the House met for a total of 31 hours and 27 minutes and the Senate met for a total of nine hours and 42 minutes. Mon. April 25 House 11:01 a.m. to 8:54 p.m. Senate 11:16 a.m. to 1:42 p.m. Tues. April 26 House 11:00 a.m. to 7:43 p.m. No Senate session Wed. April 27 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. No Senate session Thurs. April 28 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:22 a.m. Senate 11:12 a.m. to 6:28 p.m. Fri. April 29 No House sesNo Senate session sion Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association Hall of Fame in 2019. ~LEGAL NOTICE~ SAUGUS BOARD OF SELECTMEN ANNOUNCEMENT The Saugus Board of Selectmen is accepting applications for appointments to the Saugus Library Board of Trustees. This is a volunteer/ non paid position for Saugus residents. Those interested may submit letter of interest / resume, no later than June 1, 2022. Saugus Board of Selectmen Saugus Town Hall 298 Central Street, Suite 4 Saugus, MA 01906 May 6, 2022 REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman/The Commercial Record, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group. For a searchable database of real estate transactions and property information visit: www.thewarrengroup.com. BUYER1 Baldi, Christina M BUYER2 SELLER1 SELLER2 Whyte Christopher M Est Whyte, Michael J ADDRESS 36 Granite St CITY DATE Saugus 14.04.2022 PRICE $1 000,00

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