Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday Remains a Long Shot

Erik Wallin
August 7, 2017

In a last ditch effort to move the needle, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker filed legislation that would create a sales tax holiday in the Commonwealth for August 19-20. If passed, the holiday would apply to most any item costing $2,500 or less. Governor Baker has stated "We look forward to working with the Legislature to make this important weekend possible, so the Commonwealth can shop local and make purchases tax free.”

 

However, don’t warm up those credit cards just yet. Although generally supported by retailers and the shopping public, House Speaker Robert DeLeo is on the record as saying “Each year our hope is to hold a sales tax holiday to give our hardworking citizens and local businesses a boost, which is why the House votes consistently in favor of the sales tax holiday whenever revenues allow." However, “this year, the Commonwealth experienced unprecedented revenue shortfalls and accordingly, the Legislature had to make significant budget cuts to programs and services.” Senate President Stan Rosenberg has expressed similar sentiments. Without cooperation in the legislature (where two holiday bills are already sitting), an August tax holiday in Massachusetts remains an unlikely reality.

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Author

Erik Wallin

Erik Wallin is a Senior Tax Counsel on the Tax Research Team at Sovos Compliance. Erik has been with Sovos Compliance since 2011, and his main areas of focus are on U.S. Transaction Tax Law which includes special expertise in the taxation of technology and the taxation mechanisms that apply throughout the Colorado home rule jurisdictions. Erik is a member of the Massachusetts Bar, has a B.A. from York College of Pennsylvania, a J.D. from New England School of Law, and an LL.M. in Taxation from Boston University.
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