PioneerOpportunity

A conference committee is deciding whether Massachusetts remains the only New England state that taxes rolling stock at its full sales tax rate, with no exemption and no limit. The House version of the Mass Ready Act would exempt rolling stock (the trucks, tractors, and trailers common carriers use to move goods in interstate commerce) from the 6.25 percent sales and use tax (H.5518, Sections 22A through 22D).1 The Senate version contains no such language.2 The House passed its bill 151 to 0.3 The conferees should keep the House provision and take an easy step toward making Massachusetts more competitive.

This edition of The House Call describes a proposed zoning reform that would make it easier to add housing to existing properties in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury. It also provides an update about pending state legislation related to housing.

Massachusetts remains a venture capital powerhouse amid cost-driven declines in business formation and private sector jobs AT A GLANCE: BOSTON – Massachusetts remains one of the nation’s leading innovation economies, attracting significant venture capital and ranking third nationally in business research and…

BOSTON – A proposal to cut the state income tax rate from 5 percent to 4 percent over three years would have provided the median Massachusetts household with $1,095 in annual tax savings, grown the state economy by $14.5 billion, created 43,000 new jobs, increased total wages by nearly 2 percent and reduced the state unemployment rate by 0.3 percent, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.