In a letter ruling issued June 22, DOR has ruled that the sale of solar energy equipment "used directly and exclusively in the furnishing of gas, water, steam or electricity when delivered to consumers through mains, lines or pipes" is exempt from sales tax. The ruling   …Continue Reading DOR rules that businesses may claim sales tax exemption for equipment used in construction of solar energy systems

What happens when a natural disaster wipes out or damages hundreds of homes and causes the loss of millions of dollars of property value off the tax roll of a community? The Divsion of Local Services weekly online publication City and Town has a particularly compelling account this week   …Continue Reading Tornado taxes assessors — local officials rise to challenge

Technology is a wonderful thing — when it works. But when taxpayers depend on technology to pay their taxes, and that technology goes down leaving no other readily available payment option, it's time to scramble. That was the situation taxpayers and DOR faced earlier this   …Continue Reading WebFile crash causes headaches for taxpayers and DOR

DOR's Office of the Taxpayer Advocate and Problem Resolution Office will meet with tax practitioners from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 23, at Holyoke Community College in the Kittridge Center, Room 303. Parking is in the D lot. No registration is required,   …Continue Reading DOR meeting with tax practitioners in Holyoke on June 23

    Posted by: Robert Bliss, Director of Communication, Department of Revenue   The Department of Revenue has scheduled six Small Business Workshops to assist new business owners in understanding business income, sales and use, and payroll taxes. These workshops offer soup to nuts explanations   …Continue Reading DOR schedules series of Small Business Workshops

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington D.C. has reported  that the federal Internal Revenue Service has seen nearly a five-fold increase in taxpayer identity theft between 2008 and 2010. In its news account of the GAO report, the Associated Press reported that there were 248,357   …Continue Reading Tax identity theft soaring nationally

The Department of Revenue today released revenue numbers for May. The monthly collection of $1.506 billion was $56 million below benchmark and $68 million less than a year ago. This was the kind of month that proves the old adage, what goes up must come down.   …Continue Reading May revenues of $1.506 billion are under benchmark and less than last year