Beacon Hill might play the Grinch who stole the sales-tax holiday
It’s a summer holiday Massachusetts residents have gotten used to in recent years — the annual sales-tax-free weekend when savvy shoppers save 6.5 percent on their purchases.
But it might not be coming this year.
According to The Boston Globe, the idea of canceling the holiday is being discussed in the House, Senate, and in the Governor’s office. The reason — a looming fiscal-year budget gap that could reach $750 million.
The 2015 sales-tax holiday saved consumers — and cost the state — an estimated $26 million, the Globe reported.
Governor Charlie Baker said skipping the holiday “ought to be part of the conversation.”
Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said the Senate “has increasingly been skeptical about whether this is a good use of $20 [million], now $25 million a year.”
House Speaker Robert DeLeo said skipping the holiday “may be, possibly be, something we may have to take a look at.”
Jon Hurst, president of the the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, disagrees with Beacon Hill, arguing, “to not authorize these two days would be both economically and politically shortsighted.”
The tax-free holiday, which has been a tradition since 2004, must be passed by the Legislature each year. There was no holiday in 2009 due to budget concerns.
Read the full Boston Globe story here.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com