Council in the News
Massachusetts High Technology Council media coverage.
Healey Opened the Door to Tweaking the ‘Millionaires Tax.’ Now What?
Governor Maura Healey recently acknowledged concerns many business leaders have voiced about the negative impacts of the new income surtax, indicating an openness to adjusting the surtax or mitigating its impacts. Council Chair and MKS Instruments CEO John T.C. Lee spoke to The Boston Globe about the toll the surtax is taking on talent recruitment.
Don’t Call it the ‘Millionaires’ Tax: Inflation is Raising the Bar on Who Pays Massachusetts’ High-Earner Levy
Massachusetts’ surtax is masking a critical issue: unchecked growth in state spending. Indexing the surtax to inflation doesn’t solve the underlying issue of how the state is using that revenue—especially if spending keeps rising without discipline.
Broken Brokers’ Fees: Mass. Lawmakers Try Again for a Fix | Bay State Briefing
A Mass Opportunity Alliance poll finds that 81% of respondents are concerned that Massachusetts’ high cost of living will force many college grads to leave the state.
Massachusetts Millionaire’s Tax Stirs Argument on Whether State Has Gained or Lost Wealth
The Mass Opportunity Alliance debunks false claims that 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million hasn’t caused millionaires to leave the state.
Mass Opportunity Alliance Claims Report Showing an Increase in Millionaire Population is Faulty
A Mass Opportunity Alliance analysis highlights misleading data in a report that falsely claims that the millionaire population in Massachusetts has increased.
The Millionaires Tax: A Cautionary Tale for RI
Council President Chris Anderson and Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios discuss the consequences of high taxes on income—from reducing economic dynamism to hurting the citizens such policies aim to help—in a Boston Globe Op-Ed.
Five Things: Personalized Running Shoes, Mitsubishi in Cambridge, and a Marathon Tax
The Mass Opportunity Alliance released an analysis of the more than $1 million in cash prizes to be awarded to the Boston Marathon winners, showing just how much those athletes are likely to take home after Massachusetts takes its cut of the prize money.
Pass the SALT? Mass. Lawmakers Largely Mum on Tax Deduction
There is a new push in Congress to eliminate or alter a tax policy that disproportionately hurts residents of Massachusetts and other expensive states. Support from Bay State lawmakers has not exactly been deafening.
Biz Groups Fighting Possible “Tax Hike” to Pay for UI “Blunder”
Business groups are ramping up the pressure on Beacon Hill to use state dollars, not employer taxes, to repay the federal government for an unemployment insurance error made by the state.
Improving the MA Economy | NightSide with Dan Rea
Chris Anderson joins Dan Rea to explain how business organizations from many sectors can work together to improve the Massachusetts economy and help stop the concerning trend of outmigration.
Editorial: Boston’s Business Community Has Lost its Voice
The business community has lost some battles at the ballot box. Its confidence is on the wane. Until business leaders unify around a clear and common message, little will change and policy-makers will continue to vote in ways that hurt our long-term economic prospects.
NightSide News Update 2/26/25 | POLLING: Bay Staters Not Sweet on Taxing Candy
Chris Anderson joins Dan Rea to discuss a recent Mass Opportunity Alliance poll looking at how Massachusetts residents feel about Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to set a “candy tax” on sugary sweets.
What To Expect In Governor Healey’s Address To The State
Governor Maura Healey is set to deliver her State of the Commonwealth address, focusing on accomplishments and upcoming challenges, covering topics from cost pressures and transportation investments to graduation standards.
Editorial: Keep MCAS Graduation Mandate Temporarily While New Standard is Created
Citing Mass Opportunity Alliance polling data, the Boston Business Journal Editorial Board discusses why lawmakers should delay getting rid of the MCAS graduation requirement for a couple of years to give the state time to develop a replacement standard.
Immigration Spurs Big Bump in Massachusetts Population
Fueled by the highest immigration levels in decades, Massachusetts saw its largest population increase in 60 years between 2023 and 2024, and the rate of domestic outmigration has significantly slowed, according to U.S Census data released last month.
Op-Ed | Lee & Portnoy: Voters give pols lesson in moderation
Mass Opportunity Alliance Directors John Lee and Adam Portnoy discuss the economic pressures facing Massachusetts—from rising costs to a shrinking talent pool—and how these challenges resonate with voters in a Boston Herald Op-Ed.
Editorial: Poll supports likely lawmaker tweaking of Question 2 result
A majority of Massachusetts voters surveyed want a new high-school graduation requirement following a repeal of the MCAS mandate, according to a new survey commissioned by a group that wants the state Legislature to “modify” the voter-approved law. The results, released by the Mass Opportunity Alliance, found that 75% of voters polled supported that notion.
Massachusetts tax competitiveness index improves but residents still leaving state: ‘Overly burdensome’
Massachusetts’ tax competitiveness index has slightly improved over the past year, bumping up to the tenth worst in the nation from the fifth worst, but watchdogs say it’s still far too low and causing people to leave the state.
Parents Support Standardized Testing. Here’s Why.
A quality education is the key to giving students from all backgrounds a fair shot at long-term success. But in Massachusetts, proposed changes to statewide testing standards could derail a system that has benefitted countless students for several decades.
Opinion: Massachusetts Is Making Its High School Diplomas Meaningless
On Election Day, Massachusetts voters will have a chance to get rid of the state’s high school exit exam, which involves standards-based tests in math, sciences, and English. New York Times Opinion writer Jessica Grose breaks down the ballot measure, known as Question 2, highlighting the harm it would cause to children if passed, and encourages Massachusetts voters to vote no.
Editorial: Beacon Hill continues to drag its feet on the economic bill
In the three months after lawmakers ended formal legislative sessions without passing most of the major legislation on their plates, nothing has moved lawmakers to pass the $3.5 billion Economic Development Bill proposed by Governor Maura Healey.