The Legislature passed its FY 2021 budget on December 5, hoping to avoid the need for an another interim budget and just days before the FY 2022 consensus revenue hearing that kicks off the next budget process. The budget, now awaiting the Governor’s response, comes in at $46.46 billion or $…

Quickly following the House’s actions, the Senate passed its budget late Wednesday, November 17. The Senate was able to expeditiously conclude its budget debate in two days, in part by adopting four bundled amendments that added $35 million in spending. The Senate budget, totaling $46.15 billion,…

While officials say the threshold will hit only the largest 6 percent of businesses in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said the change will be “costly for them at a time many are reeling from the loss of business resulting from the pandemic.” The business-backed…

This week the House debated and passed its budget, four and a half months after the beginning of the fiscal year. With four consolidated amendments adding $24.53 million to spending, the budget, totaling $46.06 billion, is approximately $285 million larger than the Governor’s $45.78 billion revised…

As Massachusetts lawmakers look for ways to close a $3.6 billion tax revenue gap in the FY21 operating budget, there is a simple idea that could help the state receive sales tax payments more quickly and provide about $267 million of additional revenue in the year it is implemented. The proposal is…

According to the nonprofit Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF), fiscal 2021 state revenues have already dropped an estimated $4 billion due to the economic impact of COVID-19, and hopes for a rapid recovery have faded. “The economic recovery will be like a Nike swoosh,” Bragan said,…

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said the Baker administration’s revenue estimate veered on the conservative end of projections made earlier this month, but noted fiscal 2022 could pose a bigger challenge. “The state will have to replace at least $3.5 billion in non-replicable revenues…

Pandemics, presidential elections, and public unrest -- what does it mean for tax policy? Featured guest: Geoffrey Snyder, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Revenue Featured speaker: Dr. Larry Sabato - "A Crystal Ball into the 2020 Presidential Election"

According to data from the Federal Reserve, cited by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation in recent legislative testimony, the labor force in Massachusetts in August had 143,840 fewer workers than pre-pandemic, a decline of 3.9 percent. While the reason for the drop in Massachusetts is not…

Following months of economic uncertainty and temporary budgets to keep the state operating, Administration and Finance (ANF) provided the Legislature with its revenue and spending proposals for their review and consideration.  Notably, the Governor’s revised plan projects a growth in overall…