DOR: March Revenue Collections Total Near $4 Billion

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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.

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Capeless Students Raise $5,619 for Charity

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students at Capeless Elementary School celebrated the season of giving by giving back to organizations that they feel inspired them.

On Monday night, 28 fourth-grade students showed off the projects they did to raise funds for an organization of their choice. They had been given $5 each to start a small business by teachers Jeanna Newton and Lidia White.

Newton created the initiative a dozen years ago after her son did one while in fifth grade at Craneville Elementary School, with teacher Teresa Bills.

"And since it was so powerful to me, I asked her if I could steal the idea, and she said yes. And so the following year, I began, and I've been able to do it every year, except for those two years (during the pandemic)," she said. "And it started off as just sort of a feel-good project, but it has quickly tied into so many of the morals and values that we teach at school anyhow, especially our Portrait of a Graduate program."

Students used the venture capital to sell cookies, run raffles, make jewelry, and more. They chose to donate to charities and organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Berkshire Humane Society and Toys for Tots.

"Teaching them that because they have so much and they're so blessed, recognizing that not everybody in the community has as much, maybe not even in the world," said Newton. "Some of our organizations were close to home. Others were bigger hospitals, and most of our organizations had to do with helping the sick or the elderly, soldiers, people in need."

Once they have finished and presented their projects, the students write an essay on what they did and how it makes them feel.

"So the essay was about the project, what they decided to do, how they raised more money," Newton said. "And now that the project is over, this week, we're writing about how they feel about themselves and we've heard everything from I feel good about myself to this has changed me."

Sandra Kisselbrock raised $470 for St. Jude's by selling homemade cookies.

"It made me feel amazing and happy to help children during the holiday season," she said.

Gavin Burke chose to donate to the Soldier On Food Pantry. He shoveled snow to earn money to buy the food.

"Because they helped. They used to fight for our country and used to help protect us from other countries invading our land and stuff," he said.

Desiree Brignoni-Lay chose to donate to Toys for Tots and bought toys with the $123 she raised.

Luke Tekin raised $225 for the Berkshire Humane Society by selling raffle tickets for a basket of instant hot chocolate and homemade ricotta cookies because he wanted to help the animals.

"Because animals over, like I'm pretty sure, over 1,000 animals are abandoned each year, he said. "So I really want that to go down and people to adopt them."

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