Beetle

Last time I filled up it was about $1.69 a gallon. Expensive gas is just one of the many benefits of living in Taxachussetts!

HeatherD

Pfftt...I'll take your expensive gas over mine.

BTW, I live in California, since my gas is more expensive can I say I live in Taxifornia?

Seriously, I was born in R.I. and worked in M.A. for a long time before moving out west. Is the tax rate in M.A. really so much higher than any other state that the moniker Taxachussetts applies?

For comparison, the sales tax rate in Sonoma county, CA is 7.5%

Beetle

Actually, the Bay State isn't all that terrible anymore, thanks to a decade of Republican governors. They haven't controlled spending, or prevented the Big Dig from turning into a boondoogle, but they have kept taxes fairly reasonable. So it's not as bad as the Dukakis years. We still have 5% sales tax on everything but food, clothing and housing. Income tax is in flux (voters want it down to 5%, legislature is balking).

But with the shortfalls in the state budget, things are starting to go up. Tons of Prop 2 1/2 overrides are on the ballot, and the state is looking at "raising revenue" and "increasing fees." They just won't use the dreaded t-word.

From what I've heard, no place in America beats California for taxes.