State Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) - outraged at Fidelity's plan to move 1,100 jobs from Marlboro to New Hampshire and Rhode Island - called for a hearing to examine tax breaks that benefit Fidelity and other mutual fund firms... Read Full Post 

Massachusetts gets a "B+" when it comes to openness about government spending, according to Following the Money 2011: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data... Read Full Post  

The speaker proposed making letters of recommendation for state jobs available for public scrutiny under the state's open records law and requiring that all such recommendations be made in writing, in an effort to add transparency to a process that was perceived as giving a leg up to behind-the-scenes candidates. Read Full Post 

A closer look into transparency for Sunshine Week...

The Republican is running a series of stories this week in honor of the annual media initiative to bring the goings-on of government into daylight, as well as draw attention to issues around public access to information... Read Full Post 

"Reliable, modern infrastructure isn't a luxury - it's the lifeblood of our economy, the key to connecting our markets, moving people, products, information and energy, and the key to generating and sustaining millions of jobs for American workers,'' Kerry said. Read Full Post 

Senator James Eldridge, an Acton Democrat and vice chair of the committee, wondered whether the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists, known as MOSES, would support a bill increasing the income tax on high-income earners to raise $1.25 billion to offset additional budget cuts. The bill would also raise the state's capital gains tax to 8.9 percent from 5.3 percent, while calling for exemptions for low- and middle-income seniors. Read Full Post 

[T]ax expenditures are not only costly, but often also economically inefficient.  Although some tax expenditures are intended to adjust the amount of taxable income so as to better measure economic income or to reflect differences in ability to pay taxes, most tax expenditures are designed for another purpose - to subsidize certain desired activities - and often do so in inefficient ways that can detract from economic growth. Read Full Post 

"We may have to go deeper than what's been proposed" in Patrick's budget, Dempsey told House members after Republicans unveiled their resolution.  Dempsey encouraged his colleagues to tell local government officials there will be less aid available next fiscal year from the state, pointing to $1.5 billion in onetime funds the state is spending this fiscal year that won't be available next fiscal year. Read Full Post 

Despite the arguments of some Republican governors and popular perception, the places with the most unionized work forces are not necessarily the ones with the most generous pensions, according to a new study.  Read Full Post 

Since the public broadcasting behemoth moved to its tax-exempt headquarters four years ago, it hasn't paid a red cent to the city for its fair share of services, including snow-plowing and fire and police protection. The last time the nonprofit station voluntarily paid any money to the city, in 2007, it cut a check for just $10,517. But under Mayor Thomas M. Menino's payments in lieu of taxes plan (PILOT), the station's voluntary contribution could be about $245,000 a year. Read Full Post