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Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts Senate bill gradually cuts state sales and use tax rate to 5 percent by 2028
Last action · July 23, 2026: Accompanied a study order, see H5596Sponsors: Bruce Tarr and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 2086 progressively lowers the state and rate from 6.25 percent down to 5 percent across three annual reductions starting in August 2026.
Lowers retail transaction costs for consumers and reduces tax revenue collected by the state government over a three-year implementation timeline.
- Bruce E. Tarr filed Senate Bill No. 2086 as a petition relative to reducing the state sales tax. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Retail consumers
Pay a lower percentage of tax on applicable retail purchases as the rates decrease.
Businesses collecting sales tax
Must update point-of-sale collection percentages on the designated effective dates.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the final tax rate under this bill?
When do the tax reductions take effect?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
5 actions- Jul 23, 2026HouseAccompanied a study order, see H5596
- Apr 1, 2026SenateReporting date extended to Thursday June 25, 2026
- Sep 19, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 09/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-1
- Feb 27, 2025HouseHouse concurred
- Feb 27, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to the committee on Revenue
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Phased Tax Rate Reduction
The legislation implements a stepped multi-year decrease in sales and use tax rates across three consecutive annual increments.
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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