Taxes

How Slow Sales Tax Growth Causes Funding Problems for the MBTA

Almost 20 years ago, a penny of the sales tax was dedicated to the MBTA to be a steadily growing source of revenue for the transit system. But despite some help from the Legislature, the sales tax transfer has grown slower than the economy, creating a persistent gap between the projected funds and actual sales tax transfers. Sales taxes have underperformed for the MBTA as a result of a shift to services, some transactions moving online, and exclusion of fast-growing meals tax revenues from the MBTA. An appendix explains the formula for determining the MBTA sales tax transfer and how other sales taxes are allocated.

How S-Corp and Other ‘Pass-Through’ Income is Taxed and the Effects of Proposed Tax Reforms

Recent state and federal tax reform debates have highlighted the taxation of S-corporations (S-corps). Like other “pass-through” entities, S-corps are not required to pay the corporate income tax, and instead their owners pay personal income taxes on the profits of the corporation after costs have been deducted. In Massachusetts, some owners of pass-through entities like S-corps have voiced concerns about the fact that a proposed additional four percentage point tax on incomes over one million dollars a year would include very high-income owners of pass-through businesses. The fact sheet reviews how these entities are taxed in Massachusetts and other states with higher rates for very high income earners. Based on national data, over 98 percent of owners of S-corps and other pass through entities would not be affected by this reform.

The Growing Cost of Special Business Tax Break Spending

The cost to the state from special business tax break spending has nearly tripled, even after adjusting for inflation, from $370 million in 1996 to over $1 billion anticipated in this fiscal year. Despite the findings of a 2012 report from a state special commission that called for limiting these breaks and studying their effectiveness, most state business tax breaks have not faced a thorough examination.

Airbnb and Taxes: What Other States are Doing and How Much Revenue Might Be Raised in Massachusetts

Eleven other states extend taxes on short-term rentals such as Airbnb. The factsheet explains the current Massachusetts exemption for short-term residential rentals and how taxing these bookings would work. It explains recent research on how rentals such as Airbnb can compete with traditional accommodations, and how these operations sometimes resemble a full-time business. It examines how much revenue the room occupancy tax currently generates and how much additional revenue would be raised if rentals such as Airbnb were included.

Building a Strong Economy: The Roles of Education, Transportation, and Tax Policy

Effective economic policies can create a more highly productive state economy and make it possible to improve economic opportunity and security for working families. This paper examines the economic research on the relationship between effective investments in education and transportation and improved economic productivity. The paper also examines the economic effects of tax reforms that can fund those investments.

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