Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt is trying to find new ways to generate revenue for the state. Apparently taxpayers already aren’t being squeezed hard enough in the state.
During a meeting with a liberal group this week, he described his efforts and promised to aggressively pursue new revenue.
It is disturbing to hear a state leader speak this way, frankly suggesting that he is prosecuting “everyone who has money.”
The Commonwealth Beacon reported:
The secretary promised to be aggressive in pursuing change even in the face of strong opposition. To support this point, he said he won’t spend time making decisions with the goal of hanging on to her job. She also said Gov. Maura Healey has her back. “This governor likes fights. She does. She loves to fight,” Tibbits-Nutt said, according to a video of her speaking on the website Walk Massachusetts.
The secretary is leading a task force charged with developing a new transportation funding model by the end of the year. Many industry insiders are openly skeptical that the task force can reach consensus on a package that can pass through the Legislature, but Tibbits-Nutt said the group will focus on getting results. She has also ticked off several money-making ventures that she is interested in.
“This [task force] it’s actually different because we don’t censor it,” he said. “I’ll talk about tolls. I’ll talk about multinationals’ pricing [transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft] Moreover. I’ll talk about potentially charging more for package delivery, charging more for payroll tax – basically prosecuting everyone who has money. And when I talk about tolls, I’m talking about borders. I’m not talking about Massachusetts.”
Watch the video below:
I’m the Secretary of Transportation of Massachusetts @maura_healey‘s cabinet made a speech saying they would target “everyone who has money”. This is not satire. This is a high-level government official who has real power in Massachusetts. #mapoli #GOPMessage pic.twitter.com/MXKNAkFfQ9
— MassGOP (@massgop) April 19, 2024
It almost seems like you think the state has a right to that money. Almost.