Decision on tax cuts delayed, again
Gov. Charlie Baker really wants the Legislature to move forward with his plan to cut taxes, hopefully before the end of their session.
“There is always a lot of stuff that is moving around when you get to the last 30 days of the session. I just really want to make sure that these tax proposals don’t get lost,” he told a room full of reporters at the State House Monday.
The leaders of the state Legislature, who sent his January proposal to committee months ago, seem disinclined to listen at the moment, if their canceled meeting with the governor is any indication.
They were to meet about two hours Monday after Baker summoned the press to his office to plead his case for tax cuts, about $700 million worth.
The weekly leadership meeting was apparently canceled, according to a release sent out by Senate President Karen Spilka’s office, 15 minutes before it was to begin at 2 p.m., due to a scheduling conflict.
That conflict didn’t prevent Spilka from meeting with House Speaker Ronald Mariano, who was seen heading to her office shortly after Baker’s staff confirmed the governor’s meeting with the legislative leaders had been dropped.
The pair may have been dodging the governor out of simple necessity.
They don’t have a whole lot of time left to get their work done; the session is supposed to end before August.
There are a number of sizable bills still pending, including a bill that would legalize sports betting and a mental health care investment both leaders have cited as important.
Besides which, they were to finish hammering out the differences between the two chambers’ equally large but substantively different nearly $50 billion budget this week.
House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz was seen entering Spilka’s office with Mariano. Any budget negotiations between the two chambers is bound to include him.
Their negotiations may not being going too well, if their morning activities are any indication. The Legislature sent Baker a $6 billion temporary spending plan to cover the time between the end of this fiscal year and when they come to a compromise.
“As the legislative session comes to a close, and given the recent SCOTUS opinions, the Speaker and House leadership are busy with active discussions about pending legislative items,” a spokesperson for Mariano told reporter as he went into Spilka’s office.
Legislative leaders have told the press they will consider some form of tax relief, but not exactly what Baker has asked for. Baker’s plan would provide relief for low-income residents of the commonwealth, seniors, and renters, and lower the estate and capital gains taxes.