Taxpayers Foundation President Eileen McAnneny said legislators should not spend the possible surplus on operating budget expenses, but rather save it toward the next “milestone” of $3 billion in reserves, or use it to pay down debt and pension liabilities and invest in one-time priorities like…

In a report published Wednesday, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said the state is "essentially on pace"to collect its anticipated $138 million in gaming revenue this fiscal year and can expect to collect $294 million in fiscal year 2020, which will begin about a week after Encore Boston…

But as the Taxpayers Foundation points out, there are also some trip wires out there — items perpetually underfunded. When Administration and Finance Secretary Mike Heffernan announced the governor was putting in $100 million for snow and ice removal, his staff cheered — because, of course, that…

According to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the Ways and Means budget bumps higher education funding $55 million above this year's spending levels, with $40 million in additional support for UMass and $12 million for state universities and community colleges, "primarily associated with…

On April 10, the Massachusetts Legislature’s House Committee on Ways and Means (HWM) released its version of the fiscal 2020 budget, which begins on July 1, 2019.1 The proposal, the first under new Chair Aaron Michlewicz, details the House’s spending priorities totaling $43.2 billion. This release…

Thank you for this opportunity to testify today on S.16/H.86, the proposal to amend the Massachusetts Constitution to impose an additional surtax on annual income over $1 million. I am Eileen McAnneny, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. MTF’s mission is to provide accurate,…

THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE’S House Ways and Means Committee will unveil on Wednesday its budget proposal for state fiscal year 2020, which begins on July 1. Their budget document will describe proposals to allocate more than $46 billion in spending for such things as health care benefits for…

In the eight weeks since Governor Charlie Baker released his spending plan for fiscal year 2020, the proposal has been the subject of significant analysis and debate. This policy brief serves as an update and addendum to MTF’s original analysis of February 4, 2019.

Tax revenue collections have been a roller coaster ride during fiscal 2019. Through the first five months of the year, tax collections were strong, ending November $323 million over estimates. In December and January, however, collections fell far short, ending January with a year-to-date variance…