So far, the measures approved for the November 2018 ballot have been a collection of labor proposals that could be harmful to business owners, including paid family leave, a $15 minimum wage, and an income tax surcharge. But now there’s a sliver of potentially good news: The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is moving forward on the steps needed to place a measure on the 2018 ballot that would lower the state sales tax and create an annual sales tax holiday.
The current state sales tax is 6.25 percent, and the group’s proposal would reduce it to 5 percent. They now must gather more than 64,000 signatures by late November in order to get the petition on the 2018 ballot, WWLP reported. This move comes after there was no August sales tax holiday in Massachusetts in 2017.
Meanwhile, NFIB/MA State Director Christopher Carlozzi was recently appointed to the state’s Senate Task Force on Strengthening Massachusetts Local Retail. This task force was created to help local retailers become more competitive and to work with retail leaders on reducing the state sales tax. The group must report its recommendations by June 1, 2018.
