Mid-September and Still No Tax Relief in Massachusetts

September 15, 2023 Last Edit: June 5, 2025

Massachusetts lawmakers continue to drag its feet on promised tax reform.

Mid-September and Still No Tax Relief in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts legislature continues to drag its feet when it comes to delivering on promised tax reform. The proposal remains in a conference committee and awaits final approval from lawmakers. Ironically, legislators serving on the Joint Committee on Revenue met on September 12^th to hear a slate of tax-related bills. This included legislation creating a new tax on digital ad services. NFIB submitted comments in opposition to this proposal citing the cost of the tax would be passed along to small businesses that utilize these services. The state of Maryland was the first state in the nation to implement a tax on digital advertising and their law now faces multiple court challenges. NFIB also opposed bills to tax sugary drinks, arguing it would have a negative cost impact on convenience stores and restaurants. As expected, the bills lowering the state sales tax to 5% received very little consideration from lawmakers. In our testimony supporting the proposal, NFIB cited a 2018 WBUR poll stating 70% of respondents were in favor of a sales tax reduction to 5%, with 48% reported to be strongly in favor of the reduction. NFIB will keep you updated on any movement from the stalled tax package, more specifically the provisions increasing the estate tax exemption from $1 to $2 million.

Topics:

Taxes

State:

Massachusetts

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Learn More