HUMASON PRAISES SENATE BUDGET FOR RETAINING
SALES TAX INCENTIVES FOR MASSACHUSETTS AVIATION INDUSTRY

Don Humason, Jr., Westfield’s State Representative, and Chairman of the Aviation Caucus in the House of Representatives, praised the Senate President and Senate Ways & Means Committee for rejecting in their budget a move by the House and Governor to repeal a sales tax exemption that was put on the Massachusetts books in 2002 to create jobs and help spur on the aviation industry in the Bay state.

“I was relieved to see that the Senate chose not to burden the aviation industry in our state by repealing a tax incentive that has worked well by bringing aviation-related jobs into Massachusetts,” Humason said.  “Obviously, it is extremely helpful to our cause in the Aviation Caucus that President Murray represents an airport in her Plymouth district.”

Humason noted that there are only 38 airports left across Massachusetts, a number that has decreased over the years.  Everybody knows about Logan, but there are airports in Worcester, Plymouth, Hyannis, Nantucket, Pittsfield, Westfield, Chicopee, Norwood, Pepperell, North Adams, New Bedford, and more.  Many of the airports in our state are public but there are some that are privately owned and used by the public.

Surrounding every one of those airports are many businesses, large and small, that rely on those airports and provide a multitude of goods and services, as well as benefits both tangible and intangible.

The Legislature and the Governor should be justifiably proud of the incentives we passed for the film industry that encouraged Hollywood movie makers to come to Massachusetts to shoot and produce films here, rather than in competing states.  Those incentives have paid large financial dividends.

Airports play an important role in the transportation infrastructure of Massachusetts.  They make our state more attractive to the business community.  They are economic engines for our Commonwealth.  Removing the fledgling incentive of the sales tax exemption on sales and parts will have an unintended consequence of killing the industry and drying up those financial dividends.

“Airports provide a valuable resource to our cities and towns, our companies and industries, our institutions of higher education, and the Commonwealth,” Humason said.  “Airports and the highly skilled, high-paying jobs that accompany the aviation-related businesses clustered around those airports multiply to provide more revenue to the government than the 6-8 million dollars the Governor and House claimed could be captured by repealing the sales tax on aircraft sales, aircraft parts, and storage of aircraft.

Humason stated that the Aviation Caucus will continue to work to lobby House members and Governor Patrick, and will ask members of the Conference Committee to go along with the Senate version of the budget that did not contain any aviation tax increase.

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Representative Don Humason and his legislative aide Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366.
                                                              
Their Boston address is State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803. 
Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us