Massachusetts Shoppers Flocking to the North

Massachusetts shoppers are taking their business elsewhere, flocking to retailers just over the border in New Hampshire. According to a report in Saturday’s Boston Globe, “Some border merchants in New Hampshire say they are seeing a spike in sales since Massachusetts raised its sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent on Aug. 1, while other retailers in the Commonwealth are reporting double-digit drops in business compared with the same period last year.” One Methuen retailer told the Globe he is expecting sales “to plunge 50 percent compared with last August, about $100,000 worth.”

Small businesses are the driving force behind the Commonwealth’s economy and every decision the Legislature makes has a direct effect on them. It is no surprise that increasing the sales tax is making it harder for Massachusetts businesses to compete with Southern New Hampshire businesses. But as The Capitol View reported before, Speaker DeLeo was never really concerned about losing business to New Hampshire. He may not have been, but thousands of businesses and their employees are concerned about what the future holds for them as Massachusetts Democrats make it harder and harder with every decision they make for businesses to stay afloat in the Commonwealth. There’s been a lot of talk about stimulus lately and Massachusetts Democrats have perfected it, only they’re stimulating the wrong state’s economy!