Massachusetts Legislature Forks Over $177 Million in STATE TAXES to PENTAGON

[Xithras]

10. I'm anti-military, but the practical realities here are simple.

The Pentagon has had a bit of a paradigm shift over the last few years and has made it clear that politics will no longer play a part in military base closure decisions. Having a powerful Senator or being home to an influential lobby will no longer keep military bases open in a state. If there is no longer any military need to keep a base in a particular location, or if a base needs upgrades that are not cost effective, the base will be closed and the assets transferred elsewhere.

Military facilities in Massachusetts need updates that the Pentagon says aren't cost effective, and as a result those facilities are at the top of the closure list. Massachusetts is attempting to keep the bases open by making the repairs and updates themselves, changing the cost/benefit ratio and trying to keep them viable to the Pentagon.

Just ONE of the five bases under discussion, Hanscom AFB, injects over $8 billion a year into the Massachusetts economy. The other four inject billions more. From the perspective of the Massachusetts state house, the $177 million is a small investment to keep that money rolling in. The tax loss from losing those bases would cost Mass FAR more than $177 million.

For better or worse, the move makes economic sense.