News Briefs

Patriot Senior Club To Meet Nov. 15

The last meeting for this year for the Patriot Senior Club will be Tuesday November 15. There will be a light luncheon along with a “Penny Sale.” It should be a fun afternoon, so hope we’ll see our members at 12:00 noon on November 15. If you have any questions, please call President Nina DeFreitas at 857-318-2375 or Vice President Marilyn Tobey at 617-846-4249.

Sounds of Christmas Return Dec. 4

Music Director Robert Lehmann and the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra will make their annual visit to Revere for the Robert A. Marra Memorial “Sounds of Christmas” concert and food drive Sunday, December 4, 4 p.m. at St. Anthony’s Church.   Admission to the concert is free in exchange for a generous donation of non-perishable food to benefit the Revere Food Pantry.   This year’s concert is jointly sponsored by the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Bocchino Insurance, Comcast, Astound Broadband, and Action Emergency Services.

Local USPS Will be Closed in Recognition of Veterans Day

 Post offices across the commonwealth will be closed on Friday, November 11, in honor of Veterans Day. There will be no street delivery, except for guaranteed overnight parcels, and all retail operations will be closed for the day. Full retail and delivery operations will resume on Saturday, November 12.

As one of the largest employers of US veterans, nearly 10% of our workforce nationally, the Postal Service is proud to honor the men and women who have selflessly served our country in war and in peacetime and those who continue that tradition today. As the saying goes, “America is the land of the free because of the brave.”

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

October Revenue Collections Total $2.359B

Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder announced that preliminary revenue collections for October totaled $2.359 billion, $85 million or 3.5% less than actual collections in October 2021, but $293 million or 14.2% more than benchmark.[1]

FY2023 year-to-date collections totaled approximately $11.565 billion, which is $369 million or 3.3% more than collections in the same period of FY2022 and $529 million or 4.8% more than the year-to-date benchmark.  

“October collections decreased in non-withholding income tax, corporate and business tax, and ‘all other tax’ in comparison to October 2021” said Commissioner Snyder. “These decreases were partially offset by increases in withholding and sales and use tax. The decrease in non-withholding is primarily driven by two offsetting factors: an increase in income tax refunds (outflows) related to passthrough entity (“PTE”) member credits and a partially offsetting increase in income tax return payments. The decrease in ’all other tax’ is primarily attributable to estate tax, a category that tends to fluctuate. The increase in withholding is mostly due to the timing of the receipt of withholding payments: certain payments received in October 2022 were captured in November in 2021. The increase in sales and use tax reflects, in part, continued strength in retail sales.”

In general, October is among the lower months for revenue collection, because neither individual nor business taxpayers make significant estimated payments during the month. Historically, roughly 6.5% of annual revenue, on average, has been received during October.

Nat. Grid Offers Payment Assistance Programs

National Grid is urging customers facing rising winter energy bills to consider company-offered programs that can spread bills across several months and explore payment assistance programs offered by state and federal agencies and regional non-profits.

The effort is part of National Grid’s Winter Customer Savings Initiative, which was launched last month to help customers reduce their energy use and save money, manage their bills, and secure available energy assistance.

The initiative brings together and expands National Grid’s many customer resources, including numerous payment assistance programs for income-eligible customers, extensive residential and business energy efficiency programs and incentives, low-cost and no-cost bill management solutions, and flexible payment programs.

One of the bill management programs offered by National Grid includes the Budget Plan. The Budget Plan is designed to take the guesswork out of the monthly billing process. The program takes the amount customers usually pay on their National Grid bills in a year and breaks that amount into twelve balanced monthly payments to help offset high seasonal bills. Customers will still pay only for the total amount of energy they use in a year, but the Budget Plan makes it easier to anticipate monthly energy costs and plan household budgets. For more information customers may view the Even Payments-Making Budgeting Easier brochure.

Along with this, National Grid will refer income-eligible families and customers needing special assistance to meet their energy needs. Programs include but are not limited to:

• The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), also known as the Fuel Assistance Program, helps income- eligible households pay their heating bills with federally funded grants.

• Discount Rates where qualifying income-eligible customers may receive a discounted rate on electric and gas service, as well as no-cost energy efficiency upgrades.

• The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund is available to any Massachusetts residents who, because of temporary financial difficulty, cannot meet a month’s energy expense and is not eligible for state or federal energy assistance.

For more information, customers can visit ngrid.com/heretohelp to learn more.