A BILL BEING CONSIDERED by the state Legislature to freeze businesses’ unemployment insurance payments may be a short-term fix, but it does not solve the longer-term problem of how to […]
Taxes and Budget Issues
Posted inOpinion
The state shouldn’t tax forgiven PPP loans
THE LAST YEAR has been devastating on many levels, but many of our small businesses are still standing because of the support from our communities and yes, because of the support […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
State tax collections remain on a roll
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TAX COLLECTIONS exceeded the Baker administration’s expectations by $372 million in February and surpassed the total of collections in February 2020, a development that positions the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Warren seeks 2% tax on those worth $50m
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ARGUING THAT THE wealth of billionaires has grown over the course of the pandemic, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday introduced legislation in Congress to tax […]
Posted inOpinion
Say no to ‘double-dip’ PPP tax break
STRUGGLING SMALL businesses are being used once again by anti-tax zealots to push legislators and the public alike into supporting a new and ill-advised state tax break. Advocates for this […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should not tax PPP money
DESPITE THE DIVISION and animosity that pervades national politics, then-President Donald Trump, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell were able to put aside their political differences and […]
Posted inOpinion
Tax credits: the biggest stimulus no one is talking about
FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR, there has always been a strained relationship with our tax system, thanks to rules that keep the gap between black/brown and white wealth disproportionally wide. The […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
State tax collections continue to surprise
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE JANUARY TAX COLLECTIONS obliterated the Baker administration’s expectations, coming in almost a half-billion dollars above the Department of Revenue’s already-upgraded monthly benchmark and helping to brighten […]
Posted inUncategorized
Here is what Baker’s budget cut
When Gov. Charlie Baker made his $45.6 billion budget proposal Wednesday, he highlighted the things he is funding: education, economic recovery, mental health services, and local aid. Left unsaid was […]
Posted inUncategorized
Here is what Baker’s budget cut
WHEN GOV. CHARLIE BAKER made his $45.6 billion budget proposal Wednesday, he highlighted the things he is funding: education, economic recovery, mental health services, and local aid. Left unsaid was […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker releases FY22 budget with drop in spending, no new taxes
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday released a $45.6 billion state budget proposal for fiscal 2022, a 0.7 percent drop in spending compared to the current year. It is highly unusual […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mass. tax revenues continue resilient run
MASSACHUSETTS TAX REVENUES continued to be remarkably resilient in December, as collections were up 8.8 percent over the same pre-COVID month a year ago and up 2.7 percent in the […]
Posted inEconomy
State economy expected to improve in FY22
THE ECONOMY is expected to improve in the fiscal year beginning in July, raising the amount of tax revenues the state can expect to receive, economists said. But the fiscal […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker signs FY21 budget, vetoes $156m
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed the delayed fiscal 2021 budget on Friday, vetoing $156 million in spending. Lawmakers had postponed passing a budget for the year that began July 1 to […]
Posted inEducation
Boys & Girls Clubs become remote learning centers
TUCKED INSIDE the $46 billion state budget sitting on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk is a provision funneling $2.2 million to the Massachusetts Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs to help […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA to back off some of its service cuts
MBTA OFFICIALS indicated on Monday that they are preparing to back off some of their proposed service cuts because of feedback from the public and changing budget conditions. No specifics […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers swiftly pass delayed FY21 budget bill
THE HOUSE AND SENATE made quick work on Friday of passing a $46.2 billion state budget for fiscal 2021, sending it to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk, despite some controversy over a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Consensus budget ups spending by 6.5%
NEGOTIATORS FROM the House and Senate reached an agreement Thursday evening on a $46.2 billion final budget for fiscal 2021. Both the House and Senate are planning Friday afternoon votes. […]
Posted inThe Download
House, Senate budgets contain plenty of policy proposals
So much for a “narrow” budget. When the House and Senate Ways and Means committees released their fiscal 2021 budget proposals, both were relatively narrow with few policy initiatives. Chairs […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House, Senate budgets contain plenty of policy proposals
SO MUCH for a “narrow” budget. When the House and Senate Ways and Means committees released their fiscal 2021 budget proposals, both were relatively narrow with few policy initiatives. Chairs […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate spending plan hews close to House version
THE SENATE WAYS and Means Committee on Thursday released its own nearly $46 billion budget proposal for fiscal 2021, a 5.5 percent spending increase over the current year, which is […]
Posted inUncategorized
House rejects tax amendment as budget debate opens
AS THE HOUSE began its first day of debate on the state budget on Tuesday, progressives were defeated in their attempt to add new revenue. But some progressives remain hopeful […]
Posted inUncategorized
House budget: No new taxes, more eviction protections
MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE budget writers on Thursday released a $46 billion spending proposal for the rest of the fiscal year, which includes no sweeping changes to tax or fiscal policy and […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Tax revenues keep chugging along
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE NOW PARTWAY into the second quarter of a fiscal year that budget managers expect will generate between 4 percent and 12 percent less tax revenue for […]
