State lawmakers agreed Monday to set Aug. 13 and 14 as the dates for this year’s annual sales tax holiday, but legislative leaders wouldn’t say whether any sort of reduction in or expanded break from the 6.25 percent sales tax will feature into their relief plans.
Three months into the new budget cycle finds state leaders still unsure how to spend last year’s surplus, and state coffers are again brimming with tax dollars that have increased by almost 10 percent above first quarter receipts last year and are beating estimates by $323 million.
Massachusetts lawmakers swiftly approved a compromise bill Wednesday that could keep proposals on paid leave, the minimum wage and a reduction in the sales tax from going before voters on the November ballot.
Consumers will get no break on the sales tax from the state of Massachusetts this summer, as lawmakers opt for the second year in a row to forego a tax holiday weekend.
A two-day sales tax holiday, which has taken place nearly every year for more than a decade, is a lifeline for shops swamped with competition by online retailers that are always a few clicks away, the state’s top retail spokesman told lawmakers.
