New Annual Rankings Show MA is worst State in the Country

A recent study released by the non-profit Tax Foundation puts Massachusetts dead last in its annual rankings of state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax rates. The Tax Foundation data shows among Massachusetts’ UI rates, the highest rate that can be charged in Massachusetts is also the highest rate in the entire country. The highest Massachusetts rate, 18.55%, is the highest in the country by far with Maryland placing a distant second with a maximum rate of 13.5%, 37% lower than Massachusetts. The Tax Foundation rankings may be found by clicking here and to find state by state data on details of the UI Tax rates, please look to page 79 of their PDF which may be found by clicking here.

“The Tax Foundation report shows that under the current leadership at the State House, Massachusetts is not just disadvantaged compared to New Hampshire and other New England states, but we are now sitting dead last in the entire country for how our state treats businesses on the UI tax,” stated Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“The same State House leaders who imposed the highest UI tax rate in the country on our state’s businesses will next year try to push their ballot question which will allow lawmakers to raise the income tax by 80% on many of these same businesses. The businesses that suffer most from these capricious policies are generally locally and family-owned small businesses. The current leadership under Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka are doing a very good job at one thing—bringing back the stigma of Taxachusetts,” concluded Craney.