STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH MASSACHUSETTS on track to end the year with a multi-billion dollar surplus, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday proposed a two-month sales tax holiday that would […]
Taxes and Budget Issues
Posted inUncategorized
House votes to put fed funds through budget-like process
THE HOUSE VOTED overwhelmingly on Tuesday to put nearly all of the roughly $5 billion in unrestricted federal stimulus money through a budget-like process, giving Gov. Charlie Baker immediate control […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker pitches fed aid spending deal to lawmakers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN AN ATTEMPT to end the battle over who gets to spend nearly $5.2 billion in federal relief money, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday pitched a […]
Posted inPolitics
Legislature passes Fair Share amendment again
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE on Wednesday passed a constitutional amendment raising taxes on income over $1 million, the final vote needed to put the measure on the November 2022 ballot. The […]
Posted inOpinion
Claims for millionaire tax don’t add up
AS IT MEETS in a constitutional convention on Wednesday, the Massachusetts Legislature has another opportunity to approve the so-called millionaire’s tax, paving the way for the measure to appear on the […]
Posted inOpinion
Millionaire tax doesn’t belong in Mass. constitution
WITH THE IMPENDING vote on the so-called millionaire’s tax constitutional amendment, our elected Legislature should reflect on the purpose of our state’s constitution as a guiding document. This examination of […]
Posted inThe Download
Tax tutorial by Sen. Adam Hinds
The state is flush with cash right now, but Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield said he doesn’t think that will stop the Legislature this week from passing and sending along […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tax tutorial by Sen. Adam Hinds
THE STATE IS FLUSH with cash right now, but Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield said he doesn’t think that will stop the Legislature this week from passing and sending along […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
State tax revenue surges amid tax hike push
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE DEPARTMENT of Revenue collected more than twice as much money from taxpayers last month than it had anticipated and Massachusetts is now on pace to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers, in split with Baker, seek control of $5.28b
THE MONEY is in the bank – and the Massachusetts Legislature is seeking control of it. Massachusetts state government has now received $5.286 billion from the federal government through the American […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Senate passes spending plan unanimously
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE SENATE UNANIMOUSLY passed a $47.7 billion budget for next year after three days of debate over how best to invest state resources as Massachusetts looks […]
Posted inUncategorized
Rules of the road for billions in federal aid
MASSACHUSETTS STATE GOVERNMENT will get an unprecedented influx of $5.3 billion in federal money from the American Rescue Plan to spend over the next five years, $800 million more than […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate budget reflects need for post-pandemic social services
THE SENATE WAYS and Means Committee on Tuesday released a $47.6 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2022, a $1.2 billion increase over the current year’s budget that reflects the anticipated […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass. delegation not jumping on SALT bandwagon
Massachusetts was one of the states most affected when the Republican-controlled Congress in 2017 capped a tax break that allowed people to deduct their state income and local property tax […]
Posted inPolitics
Mass. delegation not jumping on SALT bandwagon
MASSACHUSETTS WAS ONE of the states most affected when the Republican-controlled Congress in 2017 capped a tax break that allowed people to deduct their state income and local property tax […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House OKs budget with 7 mega-amendments
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE LAWMAKERS unanimously passed a $47.716 billion budget in the early morning hours Thursday after adding tens of millions of dollars in spending over three days, […]
Posted inArts and Culture
House follows Mariano’s lead on film tax credit
THE HOUSE, getting in line behind a high priority of Speaker Ron Mariano, unanimously passed a budget amendment on Monday that would do away with the planned sunset of the […]
Posted inUncategorized
House budget boosts spending, keeps fed funds in reserve
HAPPY DAYS are here again. That may not be the case for most Massachusetts residents, still in the grip of the COVID pandemic, but it appears to be the case […]
Posted inOpinion
Accountability needed for state tax breaks
ACCOUNTABILITY IS A PRINCIPLE embedded in the process of government budget-making. The Governor proposes a spending plan and the Legislature examines it, determines how to meet the needs of the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
State revenues keep on surpassing projections
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE collected more than $3 billion from Massachusetts residents, workers, and businesses last month, once again shattering the Baker administration’s expectations and putting […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t undercut brownfields tax credit
WHEN AN ENVIRONMENTAL remediation program has thrived for a quarter-century — converting abandoned industrial sites into engines of job creation that address the ravages of environmental contamination — turning our […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Why tax forecasts during COVID have been so wrong
ONE OF THE GREAT PUZZLES of the past year is that the world was devastated by a plague and Massachusetts tax revenues were…pretty much OK. Month after month, the state […]
Posted inUncategorized
Commission raises flags on film, alcohol, Fidelity tax breaks
A COMMISSION ESTABLISHED to review the effectiveness of special tax breaks issued by the state of Massachusetts raised serious concerns in its initial report about measures benefitting the film, alcohol, […]
Posted inOpinion
Getting facts straight on PPP taxation
THERE HAVE BEEN many confused news reports, editorials, and opinion pieces on whether Massachusetts business owners will pay state taxes on their federal PPP grants. Amy Pitter’s op-ed adds to […]
