On behalf of a broad group of business organizations and health plans committed to ensuring access to quality and affordable health care in the Commonwealth, we are writing to express our strong opposition to the provisions imposing new assessments and taxes to fund the state's Health Care Reform…

MTF Letter to State Senate The Commonwealth is going on this debt binge at the very moment that the floor may drop out of our finances. We are not risking a credit downgrade, we are virtually inviting it. Bailing out the Turnpike with no accompanying reforms, no transparency, and no comprehensive…

Warning of a fiscal meltdown, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation called on Governor Patrick and legislative leaders to cut several hundred million dollars from the fiscal 2009 budget which the Legislature approved and sent to the Governor last week.

The House-Senate conference committee deliberating the fiscal 2009 state budget is facing a potential billion-dollar shortfall which threatens to deplete almost half of the Commonwealth's reserves, leaving the state in a precarious position should an economic downturn hit.

The state is facing a $500 million deficit in fiscal 2008 and the recently passed House budget for fiscal 2009 is at least $1 billion out of balance, creating a situation in which more than half of the state's reserves could be depleted in the next year without even accounting for a recession.

Tax revenues will grow somewhat better than expected in fiscal 2008 but increase only marginally in 2009, according to a forecast released today by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

Massachusetts employers will spend an estimated $175 million a year for additional employee coverage under the state's health care reform law, according to a report released by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. The report analyzes the broad scope of employer participation that is critical to…

"How long will the luck hold? For the past three fiscal years the Legislature has passed budgets which depended on reserves to achieve balance. In each case tax revenues came in better than forecast, largely because of capital gains, eliminating the need to actually deplete the reserves. This…

"The fiscal 2008 state budget debate turns to the Senate this week at a particularly delicate time for state finances. The final tally shows that the House added $204 million in spending during floor debate, a net increase of $171.6 million in state spending after adjusting for $32.35 million in…

"The House Ways and Means fiscal 2008 budget, which will be debated by the full House beginning April 23, has a bottom line that is very similar to the Governor's budget proposal but rejects most of his specific initiatives. The House proposes to spend $29.16 billion in fiscal 2008, an increase of…