Boston

July 22, 2022 0

Leaving, Overcrowding, and Waitlisting: What are the next steps for Chinatown’s Affordable Housing?

While thinking about the settlement of Asian residents in Chinatown, one must consider its role as an ethnic enclave. It means that there is a great percentage of the residents sharing the ethnic and cultural identity, as well as their economic activity. As you walk down the streets of Boston Chinatown, you cannot help to notice the advertisements and brands in Chinese, to smell the sense of ethnic food, to hear people speaking languages such as Mandarin and Cantonese. Yet […]

July 22, 2022 0

Hate Groups Infest Massachusetts as Movement of Intolerance Grows Nationwide

by Sandy Battulga

Marching through downtown Boston, the hundred or so men wore the same style navy shirts, khaki pants, and baseball caps. White masks obscured their faces. But during their demonstration of intolerance on July 2, the group performed more than theatrics: Some members allegedly harmed a man named Charles Murrell, a Boston-area Black artist and activist during an alleged altercation. Murrell suffered injuries to his head and hand, but no arrests have been made yet in relation to the alleged altercation, […]

July 18, 2022 0

“It’s always at the back of my mind that someone could shoot us all up.”

by Sasha Lianski

“School is a place to learn, it isn’t a place for us to go and fear for our lives”. This was stated in an interview with Laura, a sophomore at Brookline High school. While Laura is just one person in the sea of thousands of pupils, her thoughts are on everyone’s mind. It seems that just like in the cold war, when kids were taught to duck under their desks in case of a nuclear bomb threat, so are kids […]

July 16, 2022 0

Opinion: The MBTA Is Ruining My Summer, My Life, Everything

by Jeff Millman

I can still remember the night the MBTA died. It was February of 2015, during one of the worst snowstorms Boston had seen in years. I boarded a Commuter Rail train at South Station at 6:15 PM hoping to beat the storm. I was too late. Just a few minutes after we left, the train stopped. The snow was walloping us from all directions, dropping in heaps from the sky. Then the lights went out. Sitting in the dark, trying […]

July 13, 2022 0

The Millionaires’ Tax: How Will It Affect the General Public?

by Max Wei

The highest court in Massachusetts on June 22 cleared the millionaires’ tax question. The next step will be made by the Massachusetts voters on the November ballot. The official title for the “millionaires’ tax” is the “Fair Share Amendment,” which requires that for the domestic income over $1 million per year, the taxpayers will be adding a 4% tax. How will it help the rest of the public, in this case, the non-millionaires like us? According to the proposed amendment: […]

June 17, 2022 0

The Second Juneteenth Holiday in Massachusetts: What does it mean to the general public?

by Max Wei

Sunday, June 19, 2022, will be the second annual Juneteenth Independence Day recognized as a Massachusetts state holiday. On Thursday June 17, 2021, the Juneteenth Day became a federal holiday in the United States when President Joe Biden signed into law a bill passed by Congress. Almost at the same time, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker also officially recognized June 19 as the newest state-recognized holiday. Juneteenth National Independence Day is important to African American in our nation because of the […]

June 17, 2022 0

From Dick’s Desk at the AACA LITC

by Richard Soo Hoo

Dear Dick I file my taxes on time by April 15. Then, in no time, I get a tax notice from the IRS. Some years, I get several tax notices from the IRS These IRS tax notices are really stressful to deal with. First, it’s hard to understand what the IRS wants. The writing is technical. The paragraphs list tons of numbers and calculations of tax deficiencies, big penalties, and interest charges they say I owe. The IRS tax letters […]

May 24, 2022 0

Massachusetts Senate Passed the Work and Family Mobility Act for Lack Federal Status

by Max Wei

Not everyone in Massachusetts has the right to drive. For some residents without federal immigration status, the inability to obtain a legal Driver’s license can totally prevent them from working and providing for their families. There are many jobs throughout Massachusetts where public transportation essentially does not exist and therefore they cannot get to them. And still there are other jobs where the employer actually requires a driver’s license and even a car. Also, consider the plight of newly arrived […]

May 24, 2022 0

From Dick’s Desk at the AACA LITC
(Asian American Civic Association Low Income Taxpayer Clinic)

by Richard Soo Hoo

Dear Dick Massachusetts is one of the 46 states in the US that has legalized marijuana. So, I decided to petition my City of Cambridge to open a medical marijuana dispensary. Medical marijuana can effectively treat pain, headache, muscle spasms, eye disease, and many other medical problems. I received a good deal of support locally and from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in forming my cannabis business. That is, until I heard that the federal government still has not legalized marijuana. […]

May 24, 2022 0

Free Tax Advice and Representation for Non-English Speaking People

by Wenchen Wang

Low-Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITC) assist low-income individuals who have a tax dispute with the IRS and the Mass Dept of Revenue and provide education and outreach to individuals who speak English as a second language (ESL). According to the 2021 LITC Program Report from Taxpayer Advocacy Services, LITC represented 19,413 Taxpayers, brought 2,398 taxpayers into filing compliance, provided consultation or advice to 17,792 Taxpayers, and brought 2,990 taxpayers into collection compliance. The Asian American Civic Association (AACA) has launched the […]

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