This series of briefs examines the potential effects of licensing undocumented drivers in Massachusetts. The briefs look at the effects on public safety, child health, law enforcement efficiency, and the economy and state finances.
Cities and towns rely on property taxes as their chief source of revenue to provide vital public services and infrastructure. Low- and moderate-income households tend to pay a larger portion of income in property taxes than those with high incomes, especially considering how some taxes get passed on from owners to renters. This paper examines why this is the case and what existing policies help make property taxes more progressive.Finally seven kids of state and local policy reforms are discussed that would redirect responsibility for property taxes towards those most able to pay.
In a costly decision, the Massachusetts Legislature voted in 2018 to allow businesses to exclude 95 percent of GILTI from Massachusetts taxation. This choice will cost the Commonwealth as much as $450 million in lost revenue in the current tax year (2020). This is revenue that otherwise would come exclusively from profitable, multinational corporations doing business in Massachusetts – and in particular, from ones that are choosing to game the tax code.
This two-page fact sheet explains the gas tax and why it tends to fall hardest on those with low and moderate incomes.
With a new commitment to increasing state K-12 education funding and the ever more obvious need to repair and upgrade our transportation systems, will lawmakers have the revenue to make the necessary investments in these and other budget priorities?
Will the Governor again propose to double the state’s dependent deduction, which wasn’t adopted by the Legislature, or will state lawmakers provide more targeted tax support for working families with greater need?
In 2017, the federal government adopted the Tax Cuts and Job Act (TCJA), giving very large tax cuts to corporations. Nationwide, businesses had their annual federal taxes cut by some $140 billion. (Given the relative size of our state economy, this likely translates into a tax cut for corporations doing business in Massachusetts of around …
This latest report analyzes how amid a decades-long decline in corporate income tax share businesses avoid $1.4B in 2019 tax, and explores policy solutions that could help restore the balance. Interested in the finding the full corporate tax series? Read our other reports on how business taxes compare to other states, on the Massachusetts corporate minimum tax, and the Single Sales Factor.
One of the most successful ways to lift people out of poverty is through tax credits targeted to low- and moderate-income families. Families use these credits to reduce their income taxes or receive a refund check. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) are two widely successful tax credit programs for improving family economic security and well-being — combined, the credits lift more people out of poverty than any other federal program except Social Security. Nonetheless, there are opportunities to make these programs even better.
As the Commonwealth seeks to improve our aging transportation system, policy makers have considered raising the gas tax. This paper assesses the gas tax along several well-established criteria for evaluating taxes: efficiency, fairness, and reliability. Based on these criteria, the gas tax receives mixed grades. Offsetting the tax with low-income tax credits could help.