Page 12 - BusinessWest June 27, 2022

Editorial
TAhe State Needs a Gas-tax Holiday
t the midway point in what has been a his- Or ... people and businesses cut back on other things, torically difficult year for consumers, calls are because they simply can’t cut back on travel.
growing increasingly louder for tax relief in the And when they cut back, an economy that is already on
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Commonwealth, and especially gas-tax relief.
And it’s time those pleas were answered.
Indeed, at a time when the state is essentially swimming
in cash — the rainy-day fund saw $2 billion in capital gains tax collections between Feb. 1 and May 31 — it only makes sense for the state to bring from relief to those who are being adversely impacted by record-high prices at the pump.
And that’s .... just about everyone, from families looking to take vacations to businesses of all sizes just trying to carry on day-day activities. Prices have gone up in almost every cat- egory of consumer goods and services, but the huge increase in gas prices touches just about everyone, and it is having a very real impact.
That not-so-magic number of $5 per gallon was passed recently in the Bay State — and just about every other
state in the country. In fact, it’s already well above that fig- ure, which represents more than a number. For many, it’s a threshold. When gas hits that mark, people start to cut back.
They cut back on travel — which means fewer visits to the businesses, and there are many of them in this part of the state, in the tourism and hospitality sector that were already reeling from two and half years of pandemic and were look- ing toward 2022 as a return to something approaching normal.
Opinion
the edge when it comes to heading into a recession, may just tip in the wrong direction.
If times were different and the state was not flush with cash, we could almost see a reason for not moving forward with some gas-tax relief — almost. But not in these times. Not when the state is far from hurting fr revenue and when many other states have seen the wisdom of providing resi- dents with some form of gas-tax relief.
Not at a time when many businesses are finally starting to make it almost all the way back from the depths of the pan- demic and need help, not another punch to the stomach.
Not at a time when many businesses have been forced to pass along price increases to consumers because of rising cost of labor, raw materials, and just about everything else, and now they’re faced with passing on more because of the rising cost of gasoline.
We’re not sure what a tax-gas holiday would cost the state when it comes to its credit rating or overall revenues. But at this critical time for the business community and the econ- omy as a whole, the cost of not putting some relief in place would certainly be much higher.
It’s time for state lawmakers to do the right thing and pro- vide the Commonwealth with some much-needed help at the pump. v
Know When It’s Time for a Digital Detox
By Alane Burgess
Social media platforms have become an essential part of life for the estimated 3 billion
people around the world who log on daily. They keep us connected with family and friends, provide access
to all types of information and the opportunity to build professional contacts to name a few of their popu- lar usages.
Their presence in our lives is some- thing that has been celebrated annu- ally on World Social Media Day, June 30, since 2010. This represents a time period during which social media plat- forms have expanded in use across
the globe as well as in this country. According to the Pew Research Center, such platforms are now used by seven in 10 Americans. In 2005, only 5% of Americans did, a figure that grew to 50% by 2011, and stands today at 72% of the public, according to the center’s research.
The use of social media can have a downside as well, as other surveys of users have reported.
Ongoing studies across the globe indicate that these platforms impact
some users negatively, lowering self- esteem, disrupting sleep patterns, and raising issues of addictive behavior in their compulsive use.
It’s no secret that people bully and harass others online or that how one sees oneself can take a hit when view- ing what others post — or boast — online about how they look or what they have.
We are all vulnerable to disappoint- ment that can put us at risk for men- tal health concerns when it comes to social media and expectations. Are we seeking validation for our feelings and comments, supportive comparisons for our lifestyle and new friends? Are we using it as a substitute for in-per- son engagement or even professional behavioral health counseling?
What I suggest to my clients is to consider how much time they spend daily on social media platforms and how it impacts their mood. Studies suggest links between increased symp- toms of general anxiety and depression among users of multiple social media platforms.
I also stress that visiting social media
is not a fix for loneliness, but an indica- tion it is time for more focus on off-line activities for the benefit of our emo- tional wellness and physical health.
The Pew Research Center data shows YouTube and Facebook as the most widely-used online platforms with Americans across age, educational and income levels, with Instagram, Pinterest and Linkedin also popular.
Visiting and posting on them and others can be both fun and helpful as part of our daily or weekly routines. It is, however, as we celebrate this World Social Media Day June 30, important to be aware of their role and impact in our lives and to know when it is time for
a digital detox. It is good to step away from such interaction for a day or two to know that we can and, if not, evalu- ate why. u
Alane Burgess is the Clinic Director of the Mental Health Association’s BestLife Emotional Health & Wellness Center in Springfield; Aburgess@ mhainc.org.
12 JUNE 27, 2022
OPINION
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