Tax deadline delay eyed
State looks to push it out to May 17
The tax filing deadline for Massachusetts workers could get pushed out one month to May 17, after state senators tacked the filing extension onto a wide-ranging coronavirus relief bill for workers and businesses.
Senate Committee on Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, said the bill provides “much needed relief to small businesses, keeps our essential front-line workers safe, and targets tax relief to lift up low-income families.”
Senators vote 40-0 in favor of the $351 million bill.
Despite the unanimous decision, debate throughout the day was peppered with complaints from several Democratic lawmakers concerned about a lack of transparency in the lawmaking process.
Quincy Democrat Sen. John Keenan blasted leadership for a “last-minute” process where members learn about important policy matters in the news and get “little time for review.”
Agreeing, Sen. Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen said, “Instead of these bills being worked on with this body, with our committees, in an open dialogue with one another, the most powerful in the Senate decide to get together and secretly come up with a plan.” Sens. Rebecca Rausch, D-Needham; Anne Gobi, D-Spencer and Marc Pacheco, D-Taunton, made similar comments.
In a joint statement shortly before Thursday’s Senate session began, Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano, D-Quincy, said the filing deadline extension would “provide stability and ensure residents have time to prepare and file.”
Senators rejected most amendments except the tax filing deadline extension and two from Sen. Patricia Jehlen, D-Somerville. One deals with notification and another would create a commission to pursue long-term solutions for solvency for the unemployment insurance trust fund.
Senators rejected an amendment that could have helped cover debt in the short term.
With state projections estimating the fund will be $4.7 billion in the red by the year’s end, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, proposed using some of the $8 billion headed to Massachusetts from President Biden’s $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” to plug some of the debt. The amendment was rejected.
With tax deadlines approaching for both workers and businesses, the clock is ticking as House and Senate leaders still need to iron out the differences between the versions passed in each branch.
Both bills slash taxes for unemployed workers, waive taxes on forgiven federal Paycheck Protection Program loans, freeze the unemployment insurance rate for employers for two years and guarantee COVID-19 sick days for all workers.
Tarr called the Senate action “a critically important step in helping employers and employees navigate the treacherous economic waters of the COVID-19 pandemic.”