The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance made the following statement today regarding the half way mark for Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karen Polito’s emergency order requiring all businesses and organizations that do not provide “COVID-19 Essential Services” to close their physical workplaces.

The order went into effect on Tuesday, March 24 at noon and is expected to last until Tuesday, April 7 at noon. The Baker and Polito administration encouraged these businesses to continue operations remotely. The Governor may be making an announcement on this today.

“Massachusetts businesses are surviving day to day. For many businesses, rent is due tomorrow and it's unknown how many businesses will last to pay next month’s rent. Employers have a lot of patience and we are all in this together, but state government must demonstrate they have skin in the game and immediately offer temporary tax and regulatory relief for those businesses still hanging on,” stated Paul D. Craney, spokesperson for Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

According to the Small Business Administration, small businesses make up roughly 99.5% of businesses and employ 46% of employees in Massachusetts.

“For businesses that were ordered to be temporarily shut down, State House leaders must be thinking about what they can do to help them stay viable through this shutdown. These aren't just problems for Wall Street hedge fund managers, but problems we will very soon see hit close to home if we haven't already,” continued Craney.

“Any effort by our state leaders to extend the emergency order must come with a clear plan for these businesses, their employees, and families. It is a scary time for all of us, but the small business owners are fighting a two-front war. Stay healthy and stay in business. Any extension must include temporary measures to show that they are not abandoned,” concluded Craney.

Last week’s announcement by the Governor to extend the tax filing deadline, came two days after MassFiscal sent a letter calling on State House leaders to temporarily suspend the meals tax, temporarily suspend the sales tax on online purchases, and extending the state tax filing deadline to mirror the federal extension. MassFiscal’s letter may be found at www.MassFiscal.org.