If the surtax passes, Massachusetts would have one of the highest tax rates in the nation on income over $1 million. And that may understate the upcoming shockwave to high-earners. Since SALT deductions are now capped at $10,000, the effective state income tax rate for individuals making more than…

Governor Baker has proposed a $45.9 billion budget for fiscal year (FY) 2019. This bulletin provides an overview of notable spending, revenue and policy proposals included in the document.

At the Foundation, we are looking at the TCJA through two primary lenses: the likely impact of the federal changes on state revenues; and the impacts on subgroups of taxpayers in Massachusetts– both individuals and corporations – that may warrant state policy changes.

Today, the Secretary for Administration and Finance and the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means announced a consensus tax revenue figure of $27.594 billion for FY 2019. As part of the agreement, the FY 2018 tax estimate has been upgraded by $157 million to $26.661 billion. Budget makers…

The fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget process is officially underway, commencing last month with the annual Consensus Revenue Hearing. The testimony provided at the hearing touched on a number of issues – including slow revenue growth, insufficient reserves and growing nondiscretionary costs – that have…

Heading toward the halfway mark in fiscal year (FY) 2018, the state’s short-term fiscal outlook remains unclear. At this point in the fiscal year, the state budget appears to be in balance, with known spending needs largely offset by stronger than expected revenue collections. However, several…

Plaintiffs bring this lawsuit to exclude from the 2018 ballot an initiative petition that threatens to undermine our representative system of government and our separation of powers, and the long-standing consensus that the Legislature must maintain ultimate control over public finances. Petition…

Forecasting state tax revenues 18 months into the future is always risky as unforeseen events often undermine predictions as the past three years have demonstrated. However, predicting revenues in FY 2019 is more daunting than usual because there are several upcoming events over the next 12 months…

Last week the House and Senate passed separate versions of the final supplemental budget necessary to close out fiscal year 2017. This brief assesses the final FY 2017 budget gap and looks at the strategies the Administration and the Legislature is relying on to end the year in balance.