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“Breaking Faith” with the Voters: A Tale of Two Ballot Questions
The Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court have ruled that the income tax proposal the Senate included in its budget is not unconstitutional, ending the legal controversy, but not the political...
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The Making of the Sales Tax Holiday, 2015
As I count down the days and hours until the August sales tax holiday, when I can save $20 on the four new (tax free!) tires my car needs because of the deplorable condition of our roads, some thoughts...
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Let’s Occupy the Film Tax Credit
A reprise of an earlier post, in light of the Herald article today reaffirming the folly of the state’s film tax credit program. ________________________________________ Original Post: May 7, 2013 Old...
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Who’s Going to Get Fulfilled at Amazon’s New Fulfillment Center?
Amazon is coming to Fall River. The on-line giant announced yesterday that it will occupy a million-square-foot building that’s going to be built on the Fall River-Freetown line. The new warehouse,...
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Your Film Tax Credit Dollars at Work–for Mark Wahlberg
It’s looking like the film tax credit is going to be with us for quite a while longer. Last year the Governor’s idea of scrapping it altogether in favor of a tax credit for working poor families met...
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Tomorrow at the State House: First Vote on Millionaires’ Tax
[Update: May 18: The amendment to impose a four percent surcharge on taxable incomes over one million dollars was approved by a vote of 135-57 (50 yes were needed to advance the amendment to another...
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Annals of Income Inequality: June, 2016, Edition
A couple items this week from the income inequality file. First, as State House News reports (paywall), the Baker administration is about the business of reining in the overtime hours of the 39,000...
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The State Earned Income Tax Credit: R.I.P?
(How Trumpism might play out in Massachusetts. One of a probably lengthy series.) Governor Charlie Baker, back from a meeting of the Republican Governors Association, held a press conference yesterday...
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Who’s Geoff Diehl? A Listicle
The Herald’s saying that State Representative Geoff Diehl will challenge Elizabeth Warren next year. So what do we know? He’s a small business owner from Whitman who was first elected to the House in...
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Gambling vs. Marijuana: A Tale of Two “Vices”
It’s been nearly six months since the voters approved Question 4 to legalize and tax recreational marijuana. But we’re still at the starting line, because in December the Legislature pushed back by six...
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The Governor’s Power to Cut State Funding: You Haven’t Heard the Half of It
With the recent unwelcome news that state tax revenues are continuing to fall short of projections, Governor Baker is “reviewing all options” to balance the budget. One of the most familiar of those...
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Tomorrow: The Legislature’s Second Vote on the Fair Share Tax
The Legislature will vote again tomorrow on an amendment to the state constitution to impose an additional four percent tax on the income of persons that exceeds a million dollars annually. This will...
View Article(Only) Now — Mass Fiscal Founder and Congressional Candidate Rick Green Says...
Rick Green, the only Republican candidate for the U.S. House seat in the Third Congressional district, sat down with the editorial board of the Lowell Sun last week to talk about his credentials and...
View ArticleWell, that extra revenue is disappearing fast
Last week we learned that Massachusetts is going to have about $1.2 billion more state tax revenues this fiscal year than the $27.5 billion amount that lawmakers forecast in January. Good news to be...
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