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I didn’t expect, for a moment, that Gov. Deval Patrick would bring anything resembling tax relief to Massachusetts. He never really promised to, anyway. If you listened to what he said during his campaign, it was that if the income tax was reduced to 5 percent after 18 years of a “temporary” surtax, then property taxes would have to increase to make up the difference. Some people took that to mean that if the surtax remained, property taxes would decrease. But, that was just “Together-We-Can” wishful thinking. He made no promise of a reduction in anything.
So, it is no surprise that Patrick wants increased taxes and fees on everything from candy to gasoline.
But, what I didn’t expect was that his photo would be a candidate for placement next to “Big Brother” in the dictionary. Within his proposed plan to raise gasoline taxes by anywhere from 5 cents to 29 cents per gallon is word that the governor is moving toward tracking every mile you drive, with the assistance of a chip implanted in your inspection sticker. Not right at first, of course - it will just be a “free” FastLane or EZPass unit for everybody so they can use “open tolling” on the highways. But the technology is in the works for more - much more. No wonder he’s talking about eliminating toll booths on the turnpike - he won’t need them. This would make every road in the state a toll road. Not only that - if he can track every mile you drive, he can also track where you drive. Say goodbye to your few remaining shreds of personal privacy.