THE PIONEER BLOG

Matt Mulvey

Understanding the Trends in Massachusetts’ Sin Tax Revenues

/in , /by Matt Mulvey

Sin Taxes, which are taxes on goods and services that are considered harmful or immoral, have brought in a significant amount of revenue for Massachusetts.

Raif Boit

Increasing Number of Retirees Driving Pension Expenditures

/in , , , /by Raif Boit

Pension expenditures in the two largest public pension systems are on the rise in Massachusetts, so it’s important to understand the factors behind the growth in annual payouts, including an increasing average pension and an increasing number of retirees.

Matt Mulvey

Where Does Massachusetts’ Pension Money Go?

/in , /by Matt Mulvey

Billions of dollars went to retirees in 2023 from the state’s two largest pension funds. Not unexpectedly, the data show that the amount of money given to a specific retiree may depend on many factors outside of where the retiree used to work.

Eileen McAnneny

Massachusetts Affordability and Competitiveness Ranking is in Freefall

/in , , , , /by Eileen McAnneny

Each year, CNBC ranks the 50 states on 10 broad categories of competitiveness using 128 metrics.  The categories are weighted based on how frequently states use them as a selling point in economic development and marketing materials.  In other words, states are judged on the attributes they use to sell themselves.  For example, Massachusetts most likely touts its talented workforce, public education system and quality of life as key attributes. 2024 Category Ranking  Weight MA 2024 Ranking  2023 Category Ranking Weight MA 2023 Ranking  Drop in Places 1 Infrastructure 17% 44 Workforce 16% 34 31 2 Workforce 15% 38 Infrastructure 15.60% 13 4 3 Economy 14% 40 Economy 14.40% 26 14 4 Quality of Life 13% 9 Life, Health, Inclusion […]

Dana DiChiro

Average Weekly Wage Change for two Massachusetts Counties with Differing Densities

/in , , /by Dana DiChiro

Each industry in a county varies differently in wage growth and decline. This blog analyzes how wages changed in major industries for the most urban and most rural economy in Massachusetts.

Axel Portnoy

Suffolk County Residential and Commercial Taxation Changes Since 2018

/in , , , , /by Axel Portnoy

Massachusetts is a relatively rich state, with an average assessed home value of $194,497 per capita. Many of the Commonwealth’s communities have undergone significant changes in the last several years. For example, Suffolk County, which includes Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea, has faced fluctuations in home development and taxation since 2018.  Boston, being the largest urban hub in New England, makes up the lion’s share of residential parcels in Suffolk County – 150,999 in 2023, or over 85 percent of all parcels. Since 2018, residential parcels in Suffolk County have increased in every town: from 141,642 to 150,999 in Boston, 13,347 to 13,421 in Revere, 5,648 to 5,707 in Chelsea, and from 5,243 to 5,344 in Winthrop.  Furthermore, Suffolk County […]

Matt Mulvey

An Evaluation of 340B in Massachusetts

/in , , , /by Matt Mulvey

Despite the fact that the 340B Drug Pricing Program has expanded immensely in recent years, the amount of charity care that hospitals are providing has decreased. This points to several problems with the 340B program across the country and in Massachusetts, such as a lack of transparency and inaccessible care.

Raif Boit

Migration to Massachusetts in 2022: Where Are People Going?

/in , , , /by Raif Boit

With thousands moving to Massachusetts every year, they bring income and assets that can affect the local economy. However, people from different regions of the country tend to favor different parts of Mass more or less, though the more urban area around Boston is al

Eileen McAnneny

The Economic Development Bill Starting to Take Shape; It Makes Big Bets on Life Sciences, Clean Technology and Applied AI

/in , , /by Eileen McAnneny

The Massachusetts Senate debated S.2856, its version of the biennial economic development bill, last week.  The Senate pared down H.4804, the $3.5 billion version of the bill the House enacted last month and H.4459, the proposal Governor Healey filed back in January, by over $1 billion.     With the full Senate debate on the bill concluded, a conference committee must resolve the differences between the two branches before adjourning on July 31st, and the Governor must still sign the resulting legislation into law before the plan is finalized.  Some provisions are common to the House and Senate versions and are likely to be in the final version. They include an array of modest investments in municipal infrastructure programs such as: $400 […]

Matt Mulvey

Disparities in LIHTC Data Illuminate Difficulties in Housing Production

/in , , /by Matt Mulvey

While disparities in LIHTC awards and issuances are to be expected, the mismatch points to inhibitors of housing production that are outside the scope of the program’s impact.

Matt Mulvey

Examining the New Massachusetts Estate Tax

/in , /by Matt Mulvey

The new Massachusetts estate tax may be correlated to lower estate tax revenues. However, the inclusion of out-of-state property in the estate tax calculation has brought about important legal questions.

Dana DiChiro

Massachusetts is Losing Thousands of Taxpayers a Year. Where Are They Going?

/in , , , /by Dana DiChiro

Massachusetts is facing a net loss of taxpayers and AGI. Learn about where these taxpayers are migrating to, and potential reasons for that migration.

Raif Boit

At a Glance: Who Moved to Massachusetts in 2022? 

/in , , /by Raif Boit

State-to-state migration can have serious impacts on the local economy. Migrants to Massachusetts come from all over the country, but significant portions of both new taxpayers and new taxable income come from just a few sources, such as New England, New York, Florida, and California.

Barbara Anthony

Do No Harm to the Health Policy Commission

/in , , , , , , , /by Barbara Anthony

With only weeks left in the Massachusetts legislative calendar, there are once again hundreds of proposed bills left for the legislature to deal with.  This means lots of backroom talks and deals will be required for the legislature to complete its work before the July 31 recess.  Many bills will be passed and many more will be sent to the legislative graveyard – all of it shielded from the light of day. Among this stack of bills is a health care “market oversight reform” measure passed by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate. In large measure, H.4643 aims to plug the regulatory loopholes that allowed for-profit Steward Health System’s equity partners to pillage eight local hospitals.  Such […]

Raif Boit

How Public Transportation’s Efficiency Changed During Covid

/in , , , , , , , /by Raif Boit

The MBTA’s efficiency plummeted during Covid; as people chose either personal transportation or personal work, the MBTA lost significant ridership. However, it maintained its vehicle fleet and the depth of its services even as its operating cost per passenger mile increased dramatically.