Category: Phineas Baxandall

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Unemployment Assistance in a Time of COVID-19

The Commonwealth has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences by implementing several bold new federal unemployment policies that are also supported with ...
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Testimony Supporting Act to Provide Equal Stimulus Checks to Immigrant Taxpayers

Testimony supporting legislation for state stimulus checks for taxpayers excluded from federal benefits because they pay taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) instead ...
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The Anti-Stimulus: Budget Cuts are Worse for the Economy than Tax Increases During Recessions

Anyone concerned about Massachusetts' economic recovery should be worried about state and municipal budget cuts. This is not the time for austerity. Avoiding budget cuts ...
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Wrong time for Massachusetts to introduce a charitable tax deduction?

A new tax subsidy initially approved two decades ago, the state charitable deduction, is set to automatically go into effect in January 2021, reducing revenue ...
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Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis: Filling Gaps in Federal Cash Support for Individuals and Families

Congress enacted billions of dollars in new direct cash assistance to individuals and families during the crisis, but there's still work to be done to ...
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Amid plummeting state tax collections, the Commonwealth has options

It’s a sudden economic freefall like no other. By some estimates, Massachusetts will have 473,000 COVID-induced job layoffs and furloughs by summer. Most people with ...
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Unemployment Insurance 101

What’s Unemployment Insurance? The Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is a state-federal partnership to provide cash assistance to people who may lose their job or can’t ...
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MA Property Taxes: Who Pays? Recommendations for More Progressive Policies

Cities and towns rely on property taxes as their chief source of revenue to provide vital public services and infrastructure. Low- and moderate-income households tend ...
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FY 2021 GOVERNOR’S BUDGET: Transportation – Governor proposes more funding, partly reversing past cuts

The Governor's FY 2021 budget proposal is notable for acknowledging the need for more transportation investment to improve our current road and transit systems. This ...
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The Gas Tax: What it is and Who Pays

This two-page fact sheet explains the gas tax and why it tends to fall hardest on those with low and moderate incomes.
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