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The left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center estimates the state’s proposal would benefit about 57,000 individuals.

ITINs (Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers) are issued by the IRS for tatt filing purposes to individuals who are ineligible for Social Security Numbers. ITIN filers include undocumented immigrants and other vulnerable groups who pay taxes through alternative means. There are an estimated 57,000 ITIN filers in Massachusetts, yet the CARES excluded ITIN filers and their families from receiving critical stimulus checks.

Child care programs and early educators serving birth-age 5 may become an endangered species following COVID-19.

Samantha Aigner-Terworgy, Department of Early Education and Care commissioner, shared that the lost monthly revenue for private pay to child care sites across the state is $248 million. The Care.com proposal for early educators to provide in-home care further threatens programs' sustainability. Exacerbating the issue, MassBudget forecasts revenue loss for the fall of FY21 to be $5-5.7 billion.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center pegged the cost of providing cash benefits to ITIN filers, in an amount equal to the federal stimulus they'd receive if eligible, at $58 million. An estimated 57,000 Massachusetts residents live in households with an ITIN filer, according to the center.

Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation ("MTF") estimates FY21 tax revenue to fall $4.4 billion below the modest benchmark established in early calendar year 2020, while the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center projects a more dramatic $5 to $5.7 billion range for potential drop in collections. These staggering figures will continue to be impacted by rising unemployment due to business and school closures across the state.

Massachusetts lawmakers continue to weigh emergency measures. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center released a brief that provides options to support individuals and families in the Commonwealth where federal cash assistance falls short.

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center estimates the bill would cost $58 million, to provide payments to an estimated 57,000 ITIN filers and their dependents. This estimate may be low because FAIR's 2017 cost study estimated that there were more than 236,000 illegal aliens in Massachusetts. This burden on Massachusetts taxpayers would be in addition to the nearly $2.0 billion that illegal immigration already costs them.

The virtual meeting began Thursday with presentations from Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center President Marie-Frances Rivera and Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Eileen McAnneny, each of whom detailed the forecasts they provided earlier this week at a hearing designed to help state budget managers chart a path through the end of fiscal 2020 and into the uncertainties of fiscal year 2021. Rivera said she thinks eliminating the reintroduction of that deduction is "the lowest-hanging fruit" and that because the deduction does not already exist, she does not think people will be any less inclined to make charitable donations.

The virtual meeting began Thursday with presentations from Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center President Marie-Frances Rivera and Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Eileen McAnneny, each of whom detailed the forecasts they provided earlier this week at a hearing designed to help state budget managers chart a path through the end of fiscal year 2020 and into the uncertainties of fiscal year 2021. Rivera said she thinks eliminating the reintroduction of that deduction is “the lowest-hanging fruit” and that because the deduction does not already exist, she does not think people will be any less inclined to make charitable donations.

“The required local contribution is basically a measure of how much local tax revenue a city or town can reasonably raise and dedicate to the operation of its schools,” according to the website of the non-profit Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center. It is related to the foundation budget, which “is designed to represent the total cost of providing an adequate education for all students.”