Ever since the economy began to falter, people have started appreciating the simpler things in life more as they look for cheap and easy ways to escape the difficulties of everyday existence, if only for a while.
But that’s getting more difficult, thanks to state government.
There’s news in the Boston Herald today that the state is due to impose $10 fees to go saltwater fishing in Massachusetts. Ostensibly, the fee is a way to implement a federally-required program to monitor recreational fishing activity along the coast. But let’s face it, if you’re an angler, it’s just a new tax on something you love to do.
This reminds me of the way the state imposed taxes on candy and sweetened beverages earlier this year. These fees may be are small, but for many people the price is a lot to pay, especially for a simple pleasure like eating a candy bar or throwing in a fishing line.
What makes news like this especially frustrating is the fact that state government is imposing fees like these as we continue to cut back on state services and as we continue to waste taxpayer money.
One example of waste: there’s another story in the Boston Herald today reporting that the executive director of the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority is being paid about $334,000 a year in salary and benefits. This is an agency that, as the Herald reports, is responsible for “making loans to nonprofits including hospitals and universities.” And, as the Herald points out, this salary is being paid at the same time other state workers are being asked to take furloughs to save money and jobs.
It begs the question: why are taxpayers being asked to pay more to run state government through things like additional fees, when there is abuse like the sky-high MHEFA salary still happening? The message to taxpayers from state government is clear: expect to pay more, but expect to get less in return. And that’s just not fair.
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