The Legislature took final votes Friday on a $4 billion American Rescue Plan Act spending package (H 4629) that grew beyond the governor's original $2.8 billion proposal he filed in June. Baker had originally separated federal relief funding and...

After the 2019 ban went into effect, reports of “black market” flavored tobacco sales increased, and consumers left the state to make purchases, according to Kyle Feldman, vice president of National Convenience Distributors. The Massachusetts...

“You can be for more transportation revenue, which we are, and not support this tax increase,” said Eileen McAnneny, president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, which in September warned the MBTA is staring down “fiscal...

According to an analysis by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, the House bill contains 411 such earmarks, totaling $154.4 million; the Senate version has 415 earmarks, totaling $122.9 million. They include such items as $5 million for the...

While the bodies agreed on some of the biggest provisions – spending $500 million on premium pay for essential workers and $500 million to reimburse the unemployment insurance trust fund – there were significant differences. According to the...

A report released in September by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation concluded the MBTA faces a growing future budget shortfall, due to the sluggish recovery in ridership and resulting lost fare revenue. It found the MBTA might face a budget...

The Senate last Wednesday added 430 amendments earmarking funds, primarily for local COVID response and recovery projects, and 19 new policy sections, according to a Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation analysis. The foundation described the...

According to Boston.com, a report released in September by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation suggested the MBTA faces a growing future budget shortfall, due to the sluggish recovery in ridership and lost fare revenue. According to the report,...

The spending would be paid for with a combination of $2.5 billion in ARPA funds and up to $1.45 billion of surplus tax revenue. Spending proposed in the bill falls short of these caps by $282 million — cash a Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation report...

The minutiae of the proposals will also need reconciliation. The House, for example, added $173 million to its original $3.65 billion, the bulk of which — $154 million — was intended to backstop hundreds of proposed earmarks. The largest, according...