DOR: March Revenue Collections Total Near $4 Billion

Print Story | Email Story
BOSTON — Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder today announced that preliminary revenue collections for March totaled $4.065 billion, $182 million or 4.7 percent more than actual collections in March 2023, and $129 million or 3.3 percent  above benchmark.
 
FY2024 year-to-date collections totaled approximately $27.531 billion, which is $4 million or 0.01 percent less than collections in the same period of FY2023, and $145 million or 0.5 percent  less than the year-to-date benchmark.
 
"March collections increased in income tax withholding in comparison to March 2023," said Commissioner Snyder. "The increase in withholding was partially offset by decreases in non-withheld income tax, sales and use tax, and ‘all other' tax. The increase in withholding was due, in part, to current labor market conditions. The decrease in non-withheld income tax was driven by an unfavorable increase in income tax refunds and a decrease in income tax returns and bills. The decrease in sales tax was mainly due to typical timing factors in collections. The decrease in ‘all other' tax is mostly attributable to a decrease in estate tax, a category that tends to fluctuate."
 
Historically, March is a mid-size month for revenue collections, ranking sixth of the 12 months on average in the last 10 years. Many corporate and business taxpayers are required to make estimated payments during the month. The tax filing season is underway, and March is typically a significant month for refund payments (outflows), which reduce total net revenue.
 
Details:
 
Income tax collections for March totaled $1.991 billion, $133 million or 7.2 percent  above benchmark, and $232 million or 13.2 percent  more than March 2023.
 
Withholding tax collections for March totaled $1.946 billion, $207 million or 11.9 percent  above benchmark, and $293 million or 17.7 percent  more than March 2023.
 
Income tax estimated payments for March totaled $96 million, $6 million or 5.6 percent  below benchmark, and $0.2 million or 0.2 percent  less than March 2023.
 
Income tax returns and bills for March totaled $492 million, $69 million or 12.2 percent  below benchmark, and $21 million or 4.0 percent  less than March 2023.
 
Income tax cash refunds for March totaled $543 million in outflows, $1 million or 0.2 percent  below benchmark, but $39 million or 7.8 percent  more than March 2023.
 
Sales and use tax collections for March totaled $664 million, $5 million or 0.8 percent  below benchmark, and $26 million or 3.8 percent  less than March 2023.
 
Corporate and business tax collections for March totaled $1.235 billion, $2 million or 0.1 percent  below benchmark, and $5 million or 0.4 percent  less than March 2023.
 
"All other" tax collections for March totaled $175 million, $3 million or 1.9 percent  above benchmark, but $19 million or 10.0 percent  less than March 2023.

Tags: DOR,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Flooding Leads Pittsfield ConCom to Bel Air Dam Deconstruction Site

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Bel Air Dam project team toured the site on Monday with the Conservation Commission to review conditions following a flooding incident

Work has been on hold for two weeks after melting snow and a release of water from Pontoosuc Lake led to water overtopping of the almost 200-year-old, abandoned dam. The project team says deconstruction is still on track to end in December. 

"They have plenty of time to finish the work, so they don't expect that they're going to need extra time, but we're all waiting," reported Robert Lowell, the Department of Conservation and Recreation's deputy chief engineer. 

"… it's unfortunate, but the high-water conditions in the spring, we did have in the contract that the site might flood, so there was supposed to be a contingency for it, and we're now dealing with the complications of that." 

DCR's Office of Dam Safety is leading the $20 million removal of the classified "high hazard" dam, funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars. It has been an area of concern for more than a decade. 

The dam on Pontoosuc Brook dates to 1832 and was used for nearly a hundred years to power a long-gone woolen mill. It's being targeted for removal, using American Rescue Plan Act funds, because the stacked stone structure poses a significant danger to homes and businesses downstream. Excavation of sediment began last fall by contractor SumCo Eco-Contracting of Wakefield. 

Earlier this month, community members noticed flooding at the site bordering Wahconah Street; water levels were down by the next week. Conservation commissioners called for the site visit with concerns about the effects of the water release and how it is being remedied.  

The group got a look at the large project area near the dam and asked questions. Chair James Conant explained that community members wanted to know the cause of the flooding. 

Jane Winn, former executive director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, said this was specifically brought up at the Conservation Commission hearing to ensure this sort of thing didn't happen. 

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories