How Did It Happen? The Massachusetts Tech Tax Timeline
Mass. Tech Tax: From The Beginning
As the tech tax repeal movement marches its way through the courts, legislature and ballot measures, many business owners have been asking: How did this happen? It all started with the legislature, which looked to raise additional funds for the failing Massachusetts transportation system and sought out the software industry for a supplemental source of revenue. CRN takes a look at the steps the bill took through the legislature as well as those made after its implementation by the repeal movement.
Jan. 16 - The Idea Is Formed
On Jan. 16, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick laid the groundwork for tax hikes in his State of the Commonwealth address, calling on the need for added infrastructure, innovation and education. He addressed the needs of a troubled transportation system and, while recognizing that there is "no good time to raise taxes," the importance of collecting funds to repair it.
"If we want to accelerate growth and expand opportunity throughout the Commonwealth, we have to invest more," Patrick said in his address.
Just more than a week later, Patrick submitted his official budget proposal to the legislature on Jan. 25, which included the tax on software services among many other measures.
June 26 - Single Bill Formed
After a series of debates, the conference committee returned with its final version of the bill, called "An Act Relative To Transportation Finance." A conference committee is the process by which the individual House and Senate bills are compiled into a single final version. Multiple members in attendance said that few legislators actually showed up to the debates. Rep. Matthew Beaton stood up to apologize to his interns for their disappointing experience as only 76 members, he said, were in the legislative chamber out of 160 members to debate the more than $500 million tax bill.
Roll Call to accept the conference committee version:
House: 106 Yeas to 47 Nays
Senate: 34 Yeas to 6 Nays
July 18 - Amendments Struck Down
On July 18, Sen. Bruce Tarr and other Republicans put forward amendments to strike the tax from the bill, but all motions were rejected by the vote of the legislature. The bill was enacted later that day, moving it forward before the Governor to be either signed into law or vetoed.
July 22 - Governor Vetoes The Bill
The Governor decided to veto the bill because, while it addressed the short-term needs of the state's transportation, he did not believe it was comprehensive enough.
"It responds to a key priority of my Administration and will stimulate many jobs. I thank the Legislature for that. But this good bill is not good enough," Patrick said in
July 24 - Bill Passed Into Law
Aug. 16 - Memos Circulated About Tax
In response to the growing confusion surrounding the tax on software services, Sen. Stephen Brewer and Rep. Brian Dempsey (pictured) distributed memos around the legislature, explaining why the tax was important to keep and addressing common concerns.
"The changes to the sales tax will help level the playing field by requiring technology companies' products to be subject to the sales tax, just as other businesses' products are taxed," Dempsey's memo said.
Aug. 26 - Tech Tax Roundtables
In an attempt to better understand the tax implications, a group of Republican legislators arranged a series of roundtable discussions throughout the state and invited local IT professionals to join. Business professionals who attended one of the eight roundtable events in Wakefield, Mass. said the tax was confusing and vague. Many attendees of the roundtable discussions expressed their love for the state and its way of life but said the legislature was making it impossible for them to stay.
Aug. 28 - Taking It To The Courts
Scott Foster, a lawyer and partner at Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas in Springfield, Mass., announced he would be helping put forward a lawsuit against the tech tax. He said that he hoped to get an injunction placed on the tax, which would temporarily freeze it, so businesses could have some time to adjust or work toward repeal.
"Let the [Department of Revenue] figure it out ... and give everyone the breathing room," Foster said to CRN at the time.
Sept. 3 - The Beacon Hill Blitz
On Sept. 3, Brian Cardarella of Boston-based web and mobile software consultancy firm DockYard, organized the Beacon Hill Blitz, an event designed to flood the Massachusetts legislature's phone lines with calls concerned about the software services tax. While Cardarella said the event only logged around 300 of the 400 calls it hoped for, he said that he thinks the event really helped get the legislature's attention.
"Hopefully this will really lend weight to getting us on the road to a possible repeal," Cardarella said.
Cardarella said that he will help organize another Blitz if the issue makes it before the legislature.
Sept. 4 - Two Steps Towards Repeal
Two events on Sept. 4 signaled steps toward the repeal.
Governor Patrick, previously silent on the issue, arranged a closed-door meeting with industry representatives to discuss the tax, which he called "concerning." While those who attended the meeting said no conclusive decisions were made, they said it was "constructive."
On the same day, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (pictured) announced she had certified the petition to move the issue to the 2014 ballot, which means the petition can start collecting the 70,000 signatures needed to put it on the ballot.
Sept. 9 - The Second Legislative Move
Republican lawmakers Sen. Bruce Tarr (pictured) and Rep. Bradley Jones have announced they will also put forward legislation to repeal the tech tax in the wake of responses they heard at the roundtable discussions. The motion comes just weeks after Sen. Karen Spilka also announced her intention to file a repeal motion.
Sept. 20 - The First Collection Of Tax
Looking forward, the first day the taxes are due to the state Department of Revenue is on Sept. 20. Companies in the state and nationally are working hard to figure out what it all means for their clients and their bottom line.