ONE Massachusetts project director Yawu Miller spent this morning at the Tax Expenditure Budget Hearing, asking that committee, and the Legislature as a whole, to examine the tax expenditure budget as carefully as legislators examine the state budget every year when considering where to make increases and where to make cuts. We believe that there are many exemptions in the Tax Expenditure Budget that may have made sense when enacted — some more than 20 years ago — but now may no longer serve the policy goals they were intended to serve. [Full Written Testimony]
These requests are starting to gain ground! According to the Boston Herald, “The state will keep its new film-industry tax credit even as the Patrick administration eyes tightening other tax laws to raise money for the cash-strapped state.” Rep. Jay Barrows (R-Mansfield) told the [State House] News Service Tuesday that he hopes lawmakers will look at ways to simplify the tax code and make changes that spur job creation and investment. Barrows said he's not sure of the goal of the panel's foray into the depths of the tax code. “I'm not certain what the end result will be,” he said.
If you are interested in learning more about the Tax Expenditure Budget, or other ways that we can help build a more stable, adequate balance between our revenues and budget, please drop us a line. In the meantime, please contact Governor Patrick and let him know that we need to move beyond just cuts!
can be a little scary………