YOU WON’T CATCH the team of tax and policy analysts at MassBudget drawing up out-of-bounds plays or a new defense for the Celtics. You can imagine our surprise then to […]
Taxes and Budget Issues
Posted inOpinion
Nix cap gains, single sales factor tax cuts
THE DIFFERENT tax policy packages put forward by the Massachusetts House and Senate are both called “An Act to Improve the Commonwealth’s Competitiveness, Affordability, and Equity.” Each chamber’s proposed package […]
Posted inOpinion
Despite improvement, roads and bridges need more funding
AS THE HOUSE AND SENATE conference committee begins its work on the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, the Construction Industries of Massachusetts respectfully asks the conferees to maintain the 50/50 split […]
Posted inEconomy
Spilka outlines a different vision of competitiveness
SENATE PRESIDENT Karen Spilka delivered a speech to a leading business group on Thursday staking out a different stance on competitiveness than Gov. Maura Healey, the House, and the state’s […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Tax revenues bounce back, yet still short of benchmark
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE TAX REVENUES surpassed expectations in May after an unexpectedly steep nosedive in April, yet the total haul remains hundreds of millions of dollars short of […]
Posted inEconomy
Senate debate highights fault lines on competitiveness issue
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE SENATE’S TOP Republican opted against seeking a vote Thursday on a roughly $750 million tax relief proposal, but set off a debate that revealed some […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Senate approves budget, next up negotiations with House
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE ANNUAL STATE budget season moved to the next phase Thursday evening as the Senate unanimously approved a nearly $56 billion spending plan that ramps up […]
Posted inState Government
Senate budget embraces in-state tuition for undocumented students
SENATE LEADERS unveiled a budget proposal on Tuesday that embraces in-state tuition payments for undocumented Massachusetts students, rejects calls for expanding the state Lottery online, and sets aside enough funding […]
Posted inState Government
Spilka following different path on tax relief
GOV. MAURA HEALEY and the House rolled out their tax relief plans in tandem with their budget proposals for the coming year, but the Senate is moving in a different […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Tax forecast misses mark, but Healey says that was expected
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY doubled down on her tax relief plan on Friday, insisting that a shortfall in state revenue that has plunged this year’s state budget […]
Posted inState Government
April tax revenues plunge 23% below forecasted levels
THE GENERALLY nonstop tax revenue growth the state has experienced for the last several years came to a halt in April, when revenue came in more than $2 billion lower […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
High Tech Council calls House move unconstitutional
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AN INFLUENTIAL BUSINESS group warned Monday that a bill the House approved last month features an “unconstitutional provision” to reshape the rebate program that provided nearly […]
Posted inOpinion
Why the top 1 percent of taxpayers matter
DURING A RECENT hearing on Gov. Maura Healey’s tax relief package, there seemed to be near universal support for the provisions aimed at helping people of low or modest means […]
Posted inGambling
What you need to know about the House budget proposal
What follows is an explainer about what’s in the House Ways and Means budget proposal for fiscal 2024. How big is the House Ways and Means budget? It comes in […]
Posted inState Government
House, Healey set different priorities for millionaire tax money
THE HOUSE BUDGET proposal unveiled on Wednesday sets different spending priorities than Gov. Maura Healey for the $1 billion expected to come in from the millionaire tax. The tax, approved […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
House tax plan builds on Healey approach
HOUSE LEADERS fell in line behind Gov. Maura Healey’s call for tax changes to make the state more affordable and competitive, unveiling legislation on Tuesday that not only mirrors but […]
Posted inState Government
Exodus of wealthy residents called non-existent
THE LEFT-LEANING Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center tossed a provocative analysis into the tax reform debate on Beacon Hill on Thursday, issuing a short but pointed brief suggesting the business […]
Posted inState Government
Mariano says state can afford another tax cut package
THE PROSPECTS for passage of a new tax reform package gained momentum on Thursday as House Speaker Ron Mariano said the chamber will soon unveil a series of tax cuts, […]
Posted inOpinion
Here’s how we define competitiveness
IN RECENT WEEKS, leading business groups in Massachusetts have urged newly-elected Gov. Maura Healey to focus on the state’s economic competitiveness. As current or former leaders of organizations that employ […]
Posted inState Government
Healey tells business group no one will compete harder
GOV. MAURA HEALEY started stumping for public support for her budget and tax proposals on Thursday, with the message tailored a bit to each of her audiences. In a speech […]
Posted inState Government
Budget sets up ‘system’ for millionaire tax money
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION on Wednesday proposed a system to segregate, track, and spend the tax revenues that have started to flow into state coffers as a result of passage of […]
Posted inState Government
Healey files a ‘unicorn’ of a state budget
GOV. MAURA HEALEY unveiled a state budget package on Wednesday that cuts taxes by nearly $1 billion, socks money away for a rainy day, and pours record amounts of funds […]
Posted inEconomy, State Government
Healey tax plan addresses ‘competitiveness’ issues
GOV. MAURA HEALEY is proposing a tax reform package that addresses cost-of-living concerns of parents, renters, and seniors while providing significant relief to wealthy individuals who may be turned off […]
Posted inOpinion
Nonprofits should make payments in lieu of taxes
WITH THE NEW YEAR, a new governor, and a new Legislature getting back to business, there are a lot of policy issues before them. I’d like to highlight legislation dealing with payments […]