ICSC urges Aug. 15-16 sales tax holiday in Massachusetts

Boston – Massachusetts will have a tax holiday the weekend of Aug. 15-16, if the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) has anything to say about it. The ICSC has sent a letter to Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker asking him to sign the sales tax holiday legislation currently on his desk.



The annual holiday temporarily eliminates the 6.25% sales tax Massachusetts charges on most retail purchases. In the letter, the ICSC said that the retail real estate industry provides employment to more than 287,000 people in Massachusetts and that throughout the year, shopping centers in Massachusetts create more than $144 billion in state sales tax revenue.



The ICSC is also publicly expressing support for Congress to pass the Remote Transaction Parity Act (RTPA) that was recently introduced by Congressmen Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Steve Womack (R-Arizona). This bipartisan bill will close the online sales tax “loophole” that excuses consumers from paying sales tax on purchases made from online stores located in other states.