Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance made the following statement today in response to the Tax Foundation’s study that was released on Thursday, showing Massachusetts has only six weeks of unemployment benefits funding available before they run out.
That places Massachusetts as tied for the 4th worst positioned state in the country and the worst in New England. California is in the most unfortunate position with only four weeks left of funding.
The Tax Foundation’s 50 state map may be found by clicking here. Per the Tax Foundation’s Jared Walczak, “Six states, which collectively account for over one-third of the U.S. population, are currently in a position to pay out fewer than 10 weeks of the unemployment compensation claims that have already come in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic—including those they’ve already begun to pay out.” Massachusetts is among these six states.
The Tax Foundation study arrives one day after the Pioneer Institute published a report warning state leaders of state unemployment rates hitting 25 percent by June if action is not taken. The Pioneer study may be found on their website.
“National tax experts are also joining local tax experts with a warning for Massachusetts State House leaders. If the Governor, Senate President, and Speaker do not begin to reign in state spending to a realistic level and allow for businesses to reopen in some capacity, the safety net for our state’s unemployed will soon run out and put us into further debt on top of our already nation leading debt per capita,” stated Paul D. Craney, spokesperson for Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.