Home Speaker Ron Mariano pledged to not elevate taxes or charges in Massachusetts as a part of the state price range course of, create an inner process to “better predict” the affect of coverage choices on vitality prices, and make investments greater than $1 billion into early training and care.
In a wide-ranging speech Thursday morning to Boston’s enterprise group, the Quincy Democrat additionally dedicated to passing laws to “bolster” entry to early faculty programming for college kids and designating one in all his lieutenants to reply to President Donald Trump.
However Mariano’s stance on taxes and costs throws an even bigger wrench into Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to extend sure taxes within the fiscal yr 2026 price range, like making use of the tobacco tax on artificial nicotine merchandise and imposing an excise tax on complimentary resort rooms.
Two weeks after he pledged to eschew Healey’s proposal to resurrect taxes on pharmaceuticals, Mariano mentioned authorities officers should “now ask ourselves what government can do to address the affordability challenges that are motivating residents to move to other states.”
“As the House works to develop our budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, I want to state here and now that our FY26 budget will not raise taxes or fees on any residents or businesses here in Massachusetts,” he mentioned.
Within the price range Healey launched earlier this yr, the Arlington Democrat proposed reviving a measure that might cost pharmacies $2 or 6% per prescription, whichever is much less; making use of the gross sales tax to sweet; and penalizing prescription drug producers for extreme pricing.
With Mariano’s promise to chop out tax will increase from the price range, the trail ahead turns into harder for concepts Healey mentioned may elevate tons of of hundreds of thousands in new revenues for the state amid uncertainty round federal funding and slower financial progress within the post-pandemic period.
Senate President Karen Spilka mentioned final week she doesn’t help Healey’s tax on pharmaceuticals and had not heard from “many senators” who supported different tax will increase the governor proposed.
The Home is anticipated to launch its full fiscal yr 2026 price range proposal subsequent week.
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