BECOMING A MEMBER OF RAM IS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
By joining you gain access to exclusive, money saving discounts on services and programs, legislative updates and advocacy as well as valuable educational opportunities. We aim to help you grow and protect your business, promote the retail industry and save your business money.
Department of Family & Medical Leave Offers Local Events
The Department of Family and Medical leave is hosting a series of local events over the new few weeks. Click here for a list of dates, times and locations.
A number of the program’s compliance deadlines have been extended and the initial contribution rate has been increased to account for the loss of three months’ worth of contributions.
Employers should be aware of the following changes:
Notification Deadline: September 30, 2019
Contribution Rate and Quarterly Collection: October 1, 2019
Leave Benefits: January 1, 2021 and July 1, 2021
RAM Offers New Restaurant Member Benefit
For restaurants owners; 85% of website visitors go straight to their menu page! Are you giving your guests the experience they want on your website?
RAM's new benefit provider PopMenu has: real-time menu management, photos and review approval, smart emails and social posts, no setup fee, no long term contracts. They handle the entire build in under two weeks. SSL included and google friendly -- average 30% increase in organic search visitors.
Request a demo today: 1.844.POPMENU or [email protected]
Sales Tax Holiday Weekend: August 17 &18
DOR Issues Updated Guidance on Sales Tax Holiday, “Meals” Once Again, Excluded
Sales Tax Holiday rules “business as usual”
After some confusion, the Sales Tax Holiday (STH) is back on track. On Thursday, August 1st, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a corrective amendment into law clarifying that “meals” would continue to be an excluded item, ineligible for the tax-free weekend. Meals (including alcoholic beverages purchased as part of a meal) had never been included in any of the past twelve holiday events and their potential inclusion in the permanent holiday was a legislative drafting error, now corrected by the Legislature and the Baker Administration.
The STH, slated for August 17 and 18, 2019, will now proceed under mostly the same rules it has in the past, and with mostly the same exclusions. The Department of Revenue (DOR) has issued updated guidance, including a new Technical Information Release, TIR 19-10: Sales of Meals Excluded from the Annual Sales Tax Holiday Weekend, and an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Are you an award winning business?
For Main Street retailers to thrive in an internet world, you have to find unique & innovative ways to make your business stand out.
Submit a nomination today -- for your business as well as others you think should be recognized.
Awards will be handed out at the 21st annual RAMAE luncheon November 14, 2019 at the Conference Center at Bentley University in Waltham.
Legislature Approves $43B Budget, Includes RAM Supported "Marketplace" Sales Tax Provisions
On July 22nd, the Legislature adopted a compromise FY20 state budget deal and sent the final $43.1 billion spending plan to Governor Baker for his consideration. Currently, the Governor is reviewing the proposal, with ten days to review and sign the bill into law, while also sending back any amendments or vetoes of items of disapproval.
The final plan includes important provisions requested by RAM relative to the extension of sales tax collection responsibility to marketplace facilitators, similar to the legislation RAM had drafted and filed earlier this session. This important step to update the Commonwealth’s sales tax collection laws is in line with similar actions being taken across the country in the wake of the Wayfair decision, and will bring us closer to true marketplace and sales tax fairness between all sellers.
RAMHIC to Offer BCBSMA Health Financial Accounts
Starting September 1, 2019, RAMHIC members will have access BCBSMA Health Financial Accounts which may be paired with your health plan to help control company costs and support your employees in managing their health care dollars. Products include Health Savings Accounts, Health Reimbursement Arrangements, and Flexible Spending Accounts. This Health Financial Account Fact Sheet provides a brief summary of the offered products. While normally reserved for larger groups, through RAMHIC these products may now be offered to groups with five or more participants.
ith rate quotes and renewal notices for health plans with September effective dates arriving soon, members are urged to begin exploring these new cost saving options now, either on your own or with your health insurance broker.
|
