Deval Patrick has been on the record against fees enacted during the Romney Administration. Take, for instance, the following examples as quoted in the Boston Globe:
``I'm not talking about government back in 2003, I'm talking about today," Patrick said after an extended back-and-forth with a reporter on the fiscal crisis that year. ``And today, if we roll that income tax back, we will get exactly the result that the Romney-Healey administration delivered, which is sharply higher fees and property taxes, and that isn't working." After saying the rollback would harm economic growth, he said, ``Thank you, thank you, all," and left the podium. [Boston Globe, September 28, 2006]
''I haven't called for a tax increase," Patrick said in the written statement. ''The only candidate in this race who has raised taxes is Mitt Romney, giving us the 'Romney Property Tax' increase. He has to explain how a $700 million dollar structural deficit, which is ballooning the property tax burden on people throughout the Commonwealth, equals the surpluses that he touts."Patrick also said Romney's use of fees to raise revenues to deal with the state's shortfalls two years ago is ''fiscally irresponsible."
''He's pushing the costs of services onto the backs of our children and their children, amassing a mountain of debt," Patrick said. [Boston Globe, April 16, 2005]
This is why it is just so very surprising to hear Governor Deval Patrick includes a new "safety fee" in a list of initiatives announced on Saturday. He also, of course, reneged on more campaign promises, and announced he will push for a tax increase.
Gov. Deval Patrick is pushing for new local taxes on meals and lodging that could allow communities to rake in millions of dollars from residents purchasing everything from a morning cup of coffee to a dinner out for the family.During a speech yesterday in which he suggested that campaign promises to cut property-tax bills and hike local aid will have to wait for another year, Patrick said he will instead throw his political weight behind a local-option tax.
Tax increase.
Patrick yesterday outlined a broad array of initiatives to help local communities pay for city services, including a plan to impose a “safety fee” on convicted criminals to help pay for more local police officers. The size of the fee has not been determined, but Patrick said he is seeking to raise at least $10 million from the fee.
A fee nonetheless.
During last year’s gubernatorial campaign, Patrick promised to put 1,000 more cops on local streets, but yesterday he said that goal would take several years.
So much for campaign promises.
