DOR recently heard about a consumer who paid sales tax on both the price of the beer and the bottle deposit. To be clear as possible on this, sales tax should be charged on the price of the item(s) before the cost of the bottle deposit   …Continue Reading No sales tax should be charged on bottle deposits

The Department of Revenue announced today an amnesty designed to benefit taxpayers with existing business tax liabilities who have previously received notice from DOR of an outstanding tax liability. For complete information, including a press release, Technical Information Release, and a set of Frequently Asked   …Continue Reading Limited amnesty for business tax liabilities from April 1-June1

Posted by: Robert Bliss, Director of Communication, Department of Revenue At the latest count, the attorneys general for 13 states have announced their intent to challenge the newly signed national health care reform law. For instance, in the state of Washington, Attorney General Rob McKenna   …Continue Reading Health reform law appears to pass constitutional muster

With little more than three weeks to go before the April 15th filing deadline, one of the most visible trends this filing season is the move to electronic filing of state tax returns. Of the 1.625 million returns filed so far (slightly less than half   …Continue Reading Electronic filing now at 84 percent of 1.625 million returns

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security has released an advisory on the storm and flood recovery process for affected municipalities and residents. Nearly a week after the heavy rains and winds, many cities and towns still have neighborhoods and roadways under water.   …Continue Reading New from City and Town: Important information on storm and flood recovery

The Division of Local Services, in its annual letter on budget issues and procedures released last week, has forecast that the first round of Community Preservation Act matching grants may reach 31 to 32 percent of the CPA surcharge levied by each of the 142 cities   …Continue Reading First round CPA grants may hit 31-32 percent this October

Posted by: Robert Bliss, Director of Communication, Department of Revenue As of today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has returned $501,819,683 in refunds to 1,039,277 taxpayers, with the average refund totaling $483, up $13 from the average last year at this time of $470. The total   …Continue Reading Refunds to more than 1 million taxpayers exceed half-billion dollars

The state Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation has urged taxpayers to shun so-called Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs). In their press release, DOR Commissioner Navjeet K. Bal is quoted as saying, "Paying an interest cost on your refund doesn't add up." RAL's promise quick delivery of   …Continue Reading Don’t hold your refund hostage to a Refund Anticipation Loan

In his monthly commentary for City and Town, Robert G. Nunes, Deputy Commissioner and Director of Municipal Affairs, reviews a host of new proposals designed to provide cities and towns with the tools they need to operate efficiently and cost-effectively. To read the entire piece,   …Continue Reading New from City and Town: A host of municipal relief proposals