National Motorists Association
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Hello Massachusetts Motorists,

I wrote to you last Summer about a little known reimbursement program for driving on the Pike. Basically if you are purchasing fuel in Massachusetts, the State Department of Revenue owes you 21 cents for every gallon of fuel burned on the Pike within three days of that purchase.

  1. You must save all your original fuel and toll receipts
  2. You can submit them only twice a year
  3. You are supposed to keep all the documents for three years
  4. The refund is subject to a 5% sales tax
  5. "Right now we have an opinion in the 'Legal' concerning the Fast Lane receipts," a bureaucrat told me. "Call back later." The number to call back is (617) 887-5047 or (617) 887-5055.
If you are still determined to get your money back, you need to get the proper form, GT-9T for refund on gasoline tax or form STF-9T for refund on diesel tax. To get either one, call DOR at (617) 887-MDOR or (800) 392-6089. You can also get the forms by dialing the DOR Fax-On-Demand line (617) 887-1900 and retrieving document number 478 (gasoline) or 477 (diesel). Finally, you can also download the forms - for gasoline or for diesel. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required.)

Simple, right? Not when it comes to the government refunding your money...


Speaking of "Fast Lane..."

Setting aside the issues of privacy and efficiency (or for that matter the gasoline tax refund program - see above) for the 'Fast Lane' program, this is the order of cost-efficiency of the different payment options from their standpoint:



Left-On-Red

As many of you may know, it is legal in Massachusetts to turn left on red. However:
  1. both roads must be one-way
  2. you must come to a complete stop
  3. there cannot be any pedestrian or cross traffic
  4. there cannot be a sign prohibiting turning on red.
I have posted some of these intersections on this Web site. Please let me know of any other ones.



Laser News

With our money, the Massachusetts State Police is purchasing 40 new laser guns this year at $3000 each. (That's about twice the cost of a typical radar gun. They already own 34 older laser guns as well as 900 radar guns.) That's $120,000 to catch you and me exceeding an arbitrarily set speed limit. When faced with a laser, remember this:
- There is no such thing as 'a moving laser.'
- It's a line-of-sight device. You cannot be clocked over hills, curves or obstructions.
- It cannot be used through glass, such as the patrol car's window or windshield.
- It's inaccurate in low light, bright light, bad weather or when not held absolutely steady.

LTI is a company that has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy for some time -- although they posted a first quarter profit. They just settled a shareholder lawsuit that accused the company of misleading shareholders and the public. They were in trouble with the SEC for violating securities laws (artificially inflating their stock price), their accounting firm quit, and their stock was halted. Mention that next time some cop touts any of LTI's claims about its laser gun. The company's reports are public and available to anyone who wants them -- you don't have to be a shareholder.



And finally...

At the end of another year, here is a recap of some events in 1998:

* Thanks to the NMA, Both Connecticut and New Jersey finally ended their "double nickel" speed limits. (New Jersey also did away with their High Occupancy Vehicle lanes, as being inefficient.)
+ Thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency, a new ingredient in 'reformulated gas' that was supposed to make the air cleaner is rapidly polluting water from Maine to California, forcing the closure of wells and prompting lawsuits.
- We welcomed a new Activist. (See the national Newsletter for contact info.)

Stay alert, stay involved and remember: even the Lifetime NMA Membership is still cheaper than just one speeding ticket.

Happy Holidays and a Safe New Year,

Ivan Sever ma@motorists.org
1/99


P.S.: This coming year, don't forget to use your blinkers; no-one else does that anymore...

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