Jobs & the Economy

结束针对工薪阶层新移民的税收处罚

在疫情期间,马萨诸塞州的新移民作为一线工人承担了巨大的风险。 然而,由于他们没有资格获得社会安全号码,数千名正在工作并纳税的人及其家庭因此而无法获得收入所得税抵免(EITC)的政府支持。 如果麻州政府将改税务优惠EITC扩展到允许使用所得税识别号(ITIN)纳税的人也可以申请,估计将有13200多户的家庭可以从中受益。 该举措对马萨诸塞州政府的预算,总计约为930万美元。

Ending the Tax Penalty Against Working Immigrants: MA Should Follow Other States Extending EITC to Immigrant Tax Filers

Who are ITIN filers? Immigrants in Massachusetts have shouldered an outsized risk as frontline workers during the pandemic. Yet thousands of immigrants and their families who work and pay taxes are prevented from receiving important support through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) because they are ineligible for a Social Security Number. The law requires …

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Terminando con la penalidad contributiva para inmigrantes trabajadores

Los inmigrantes en Massachusetts han asumido un riesgo excesivo como trabajadores de primera línea durante la pandemia. Pero miles de ellos y sus familias, que trabajan y pagan contribuciones, no pueden recibir apoyo importante a través del Crédito por Ingreso del Trabajo (EITC, por sus siglas en inglés) porque no son elegibles para un número …

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Why licensing all drivers, regardless of immigration status, makes economic sense

If an age-eligible immigrant without status can pass a driving test, the state should issue them driver’s licenses so they can drive safely to work, school, doctor’s offices, and other places without fear. There are myriad health, safety, and social reasons to grant licenses to immigrants without status. One of these reasons is economic. Below …

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Testimony before the Health Equity Task Force on the importance of work and family mobility for all, regardless of immigrant status

Testimony by Monique Ching, Senior Policy Analyst at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, for the Health Equity Task Force public hearing on February 8, 2021. Members of the Health Equity Task Force, thank you for the opportunity to speak today about An Act Relative to Work and Family Mobility During and Subsequent to the …

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Unemployment Insurance Saved the Massachusetts Economy. How Can We Ensure It Will Be Strong for the Future?

Many Massachusetts businesses today owe their survival in part to UI sustaining customers’ demand for products and services. Over the years, even though the UI system funding has run low, legislators have repeatedly waived rules requiring employers to increase their payroll contributions. The state has had to borrow from the federal UI Trust Fund which …

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Municipal Budgets, Local Aid, and Property Taxes Amid COVID-19

As a result of the pandemic, municipalities face increased spending needs and declining revenues. Many have the ability to raise property taxes, though others are constrained by Proposition 2 1/2. Moreover, property taxes tend to fall hardest on those with lower incomes. Without sufficient municipal aid, cities and towns may be forced to make public cuts which would slow the economic recovery.

Tens of thousands of undocumented, essential workers at risk of lost jobs, lost pay, exposure to COVID-19

Immigrants without status form the backbone of Massachusetts — producing our food, tending to our loved ones, and stocking our supermarkets. But the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread business closures mean many of these undocumented workers have found themselves at risk of losing their jobs, losing income, or being exposed to the virus.

Unemployment Assistance in a Time of COVID-19

The Commonwealth has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences by implementing several bold new federal unemployment policies that are also supported with federal funds. These have provided crucial protection to many workers and the economy, though undocumented workers have been excluded. Since late April, the greatest volume of unemployment claims have been for a new program for workers traditionally ineligible for unemployment insurance. Without new federal legislation, this program will expire at the end of the year. The federally-funded $600 enhancement to weekly benefits will expire at the end of July. The loss of these benefits would hurt many workers and slow the state’s economic recovery.

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