The Herald News: Sen. Michael Rodrigues: Why I Oppose the Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday
media mentionIt is that time of year again on Beacon Hill, when the Legislature debates and ultimately passes a sales tax holiday for a weekend in August.
Let’s be clear, the tax holiday enables elected officials to break for summer recess on a high note, with something to tout to their constituents. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, in a 2013 policy brief, concludes that tax holidays “have more political than policy benefits.” When viewed critically, it’s well-established that the tax-free weekend has no positive economic impact, yet it continues primarily out of habit, having been implemented in ten of the last eleven years. We must do better than the status quo.