DOR: March Revenue Collections Total Near $4 Billion

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BOSTON — Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder today announced that preliminary revenue collections for March totaled $4.065 billion, $182 million or 4.7 percent more than actual collections in March 2023, and $129 million or 3.3 percent  above benchmark.
 
FY2024 year-to-date collections totaled approximately $27.531 billion, which is $4 million or 0.01 percent less than collections in the same period of FY2023, and $145 million or 0.5 percent  less than the year-to-date benchmark.
 
"March collections increased in income tax withholding in comparison to March 2023," said Commissioner Snyder. "The increase in withholding was partially offset by decreases in non-withheld income tax, sales and use tax, and ‘all other' tax. The increase in withholding was due, in part, to current labor market conditions. The decrease in non-withheld income tax was driven by an unfavorable increase in income tax refunds and a decrease in income tax returns and bills. The decrease in sales tax was mainly due to typical timing factors in collections. The decrease in ‘all other' tax is mostly attributable to a decrease in estate tax, a category that tends to fluctuate."
 
Historically, March is a mid-size month for revenue collections, ranking sixth of the 12 months on average in the last 10 years. Many corporate and business taxpayers are required to make estimated payments during the month. The tax filing season is underway, and March is typically a significant month for refund payments (outflows), which reduce total net revenue.
 
Details:
 
Income tax collections for March totaled $1.991 billion, $133 million or 7.2 percent  above benchmark, and $232 million or 13.2 percent  more than March 2023.
 
Withholding tax collections for March totaled $1.946 billion, $207 million or 11.9 percent  above benchmark, and $293 million or 17.7 percent  more than March 2023.
 
Income tax estimated payments for March totaled $96 million, $6 million or 5.6 percent  below benchmark, and $0.2 million or 0.2 percent  less than March 2023.
 
Income tax returns and bills for March totaled $492 million, $69 million or 12.2 percent  below benchmark, and $21 million or 4.0 percent  less than March 2023.
 
Income tax cash refunds for March totaled $543 million in outflows, $1 million or 0.2 percent  below benchmark, but $39 million or 7.8 percent  more than March 2023.
 
Sales and use tax collections for March totaled $664 million, $5 million or 0.8 percent  below benchmark, and $26 million or 3.8 percent  less than March 2023.
 
Corporate and business tax collections for March totaled $1.235 billion, $2 million or 0.1 percent  below benchmark, and $5 million or 0.4 percent  less than March 2023.
 
"All other" tax collections for March totaled $175 million, $3 million or 1.9 percent  above benchmark, but $19 million or 10.0 percent  less than March 2023.

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Pittsfield Adopts Surveillance Tech Oversight Ordinance

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— After two years of preparation, the City Council has adopted a surveillance technology ordinance regarding police body cameras and other equipment.

On Tuesday, a petition from Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren amending the City Code by adding Chapter 18 ½, Surveillance Technology Oversight, was approved.  Warren has championed this effort since 2022— before a five-year contract with body and dash cams was approved.

The ordinance will take effect 180 days after its adoption.

It is based on the Town of Amherst's modified version of the City of Cambridge Ordinance that uses an American Civil Liberties Union model for community control surveillance technology.

"This has been an issue that lots of communities have been looking at, both in Massachusetts and outside of Massachusetts, dealing with software that has some surveillance capability that could possibly have some negative impact on our citizens," Warren said.

The purpose of the ordinance is to provide regulations for surveillance technology acquisition, use by the city, or the use of the surveillance data it provides to safeguard the right of individuals' privacy balanced with the need to promote and provide safety and security.  

It aims to avoid marginalized communities being disproportionately affected by the use of this technology.  Warren would not be surprised if this were encompassed in a statue for statewide standards.

"Police body cameras have the potential to serve as a much-needed police oversight tool at a time of a growing recognition that the United States has a real problem with police violence. But if the technology is to be effective at providing oversight, reducing police abuses, and increasing community trust, it is vital that they be deployed with good policies to ensure they accomplish those goals," the ACLU explains on its website.

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