Comments on: Young, Gifted, and Black in Massachusetts http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massachusetts/ A posting every day; an interesting idea every three months... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:45:57 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: philg http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massachusetts/comment-page-1/#comment-73326 philg Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:25:44 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massach#comment-73326 JB: New Hampshire is not quite the rich bastard's paradise that it seems on the surface. There is no income tax for wage slaves, but NH taxes dividends and interest. Wyoming, Florida, Alaska, Nevada, etc. are the true rich bastards' paradise. Anyway, I'm not arguing that aviation shouldn't be taxed. There is already a fat federal excise tax on charter services. There are federal and state taxes (I think) on aviation fuel. For a geographically tiny state to say "we're also going to clean up by heaping on sales tax" is just a way of destroying jobs; they aren't going to collect significant revenue from this unless you assume that Massachusetts residents are idiots. In a jet, it is literally a two-minute flight from the Nashua airport to the Massachusetts border. Every jet probably generates at least 10 jobs (pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, cleaners, hangar construction). JB: New Hampshire is not quite the rich bastard’s paradise that it seems on the surface. There is no income tax for wage slaves, but NH taxes dividends and interest. Wyoming, Florida, Alaska, Nevada, etc. are the true rich bastards’ paradise.

Anyway, I’m not arguing that aviation shouldn’t be taxed. There is already a fat federal excise tax on charter services. There are federal and state taxes (I think) on aviation fuel. For a geographically tiny state to say “we’re also going to clean up by heaping on sales tax” is just a way of destroying jobs; they aren’t going to collect significant revenue from this unless you assume that Massachusetts residents are idiots. In a jet, it is literally a two-minute flight from the Nashua airport to the Massachusetts border. Every jet probably generates at least 10 jobs (pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, cleaners, hangar construction).

]]> By: JB http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massachusetts/comment-page-1/#comment-72996 JB Sat, 09 Feb 2008 16:12:31 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massach#comment-72996 This is how it goes, and how it will go. Our decline as a country is and will be marked by a series of attacks on pockets of wealth. Not enough so that any one instance is enough to rile sufficient quantities of people for our democracy to care about it. The prediction of Bastiat is coming true, and the treasury is being raided by the majority. Overtaxing rich guys with airplanes to pay for the healthcare of welfare mothers is a pretty classic failure mode of a democracy. (Don't forget that the reason Patrick is doing this is because our wonderful healthcare for everybody initiative is *gasp* costing more than they thought it would.) So, Phil, given how much you (rightfully) complain about Cambridge and MA, why are you not living in NH? This is how it goes, and how it will go. Our decline as a country is and will be marked by a series of attacks on pockets of wealth. Not enough so that any one instance is enough to rile sufficient quantities of people for our democracy to care about it. The prediction of Bastiat is coming true, and the treasury is being raided by the majority. Overtaxing rich guys with airplanes to pay for the healthcare of welfare mothers is a pretty classic failure mode of a democracy. (Don’t forget that the reason Patrick is doing this is because our wonderful healthcare for everybody initiative is *gasp* costing more than they thought it would.)

So, Phil, given how much you (rightfully) complain about Cambridge and MA, why are you not living in NH?

]]> By: philg http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massachusetts/comment-page-1/#comment-72806 philg Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:22:08 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massach#comment-72806 Steve: The Maine law exempts expensive airplanes and airplanes used in Part 135 charter operations, so the way around it to base the airplane in a state with no aircraft sales tax (Connecticut, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire) and, if there is a need to travel to Maine frequently, put the airplane into an LLC that does charter operations (or avoid Maine for the plane's first year). There are a few other very aggressive states, e.g., California (see http://www.aeromarinetaxpros.com/long-arm-of-boe.htm ). I guess this is a serious enough problem that it creates demand for lawyers, which is probably not conducive to economic growth (the Chinese build factories; we set up elaborate paperwork fights amongst ourselves). Steve: The Maine law exempts expensive airplanes and airplanes used in Part 135 charter operations, so the way around it to base the airplane in a state with no aircraft sales tax (Connecticut, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire) and, if there is a need to travel to Maine frequently, put the airplane into an LLC that does charter operations (or avoid Maine for the plane’s first year).

There are a few other very aggressive states, e.g., California (see http://www.aeromarinetaxpros.com/long-arm-of-boe.htm ). I guess this is a serious enough problem that it creates demand for lawyers, which is probably not conducive to economic growth (the Chinese build factories; we set up elaborate paperwork fights amongst ourselves).

]]> By: Steve Johnston http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massachusetts/comment-page-1/#comment-72794 Steve Johnston Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:44:40 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massach#comment-72794 It's not just one ethnic group levying such taxes. Other people are doing that too: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=167987&ac=PHnws You might get a bill for several $10,000s, or even over $100k if you fly your plane into Maine for more than 20 days in a year, even if you live in Massachusetts. I'm guessing that other states have this too, so there may be no way around it, right? It’s not just one ethnic group levying such taxes. Other people are doing that too: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=167987&ac=PHnws

You might get a bill for several $10,000s, or even over $100k if you fly your plane into Maine for more than 20 days in a year, even if you live in Massachusetts. I’m guessing that other states have this too, so there may be no way around it, right?

]]> By: patrick giagnocavo http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massachusetts/comment-page-1/#comment-72793 patrick giagnocavo Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:38:58 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/philg/2008/02/08/young-gifted-and-black-leads-in-massach#comment-72793 Not hard to understand, considering that Deval, if you read his bio, has never worked at a real private sector job in his life. He only joined a private law firm after making his connections, which means he was hired for the connections he had. Unfortunately the same goes for Barack Obama - no actual exposure to the dirty grimy world. Another failed Democratic candidate with a similar bio is Joe Lieberman who went straight from grad school into politics. Not hard to understand, considering that Deval, if you read his bio, has never worked at a real private sector job in his life. He only joined a private law firm after making his connections, which means he was hired for the connections he had.

Unfortunately the same goes for Barack Obama – no actual exposure to the dirty grimy world. Another failed Democratic candidate with a similar bio is Joe Lieberman who went straight from grad school into politics.

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