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. Click here to JOIN NOW!
Sales Tax Holiday Weekend Set for August 9 & 10, 2025
The MA House of Representatives and State Senate today adopted resolutions (H.4220 & S.2530) setting the date for this year’s annual Sales Tax Holiday weekend, for August 9 & 10, 2025.
The sales tax exemption applies for those two days to any retail purchase made in the Commonwealth, both in-store and online, of $2,500 or less, with certain exceptions. While the rules of the holiday weekend remain the same as in recent years, members are encouraged to closely review these helpful FAQs from the MA Department of Revenue (DOR). Note, the FAQs link refers to the 2024 dates but will soon be updated.
For more information, the specific rules governing the Sales Tax Holiday can be found in the DOR regulation, 830 CMR 64H.1.8: Sales Tax Holiday.
Support Small Businesses;
Contact your Legislators Today!
RAM urges members to contact their elected officials to request that they make lowering mandated costs a priority this session. At a time when most retailers continue to experience flat or down sales while business costs continue to increase, it is imperative that policymakers at the state and federal level reform those areas of existing law that are contributing to the cost problems facing businesses in Massachusetts. At the federal level, regulation is needed to reign in the ever increasing interchange fees being charged to merchants by credit card companies, while the three areas of focus in Massachusetts state law include small business health insurance, energy pricing, and unemployment insurance.
Federal Action: Click here to send a message to federal policymakers regarding interchange fees and the Credit Card Competition Act.
State Action: Click here to send a message to state policymakers regarding state mandated operational costs.
RAM IN THE NEWS:
Boston Globe Op-Eds:
Click image to read new blog on healthcare costs.
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Small Business Summit
Wednesday, June 18 at the State House
Help turn the tide against those trying to make it harder for you to run your small business!
Join RAM and fellow small business owners from across the Commonwealth for the Massachusetts Small Business Summit!
Every week, advocates storm the Massachusetts State House, pushing lawmakers to support higher labor costs, higher energy costs, and higher healthcare costs. Now, it's your turn. Please save the date to help turn the tide against those trying to make it harder for you to run your small business.
We ask that you participate in a day to raise the small business banner in Boston and fight to make Massachusetts more competitive and affordable for employers!
RSVP TODAY!
RAMHIC Offerings for 2025
RAMHIC continues to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to offer members access to the carrier's entire portfolio of high quality, small group health insurance plans.
All members purchasing their health insurance coverage through the cooperative will also receive an expanded list of ancillary benefits, FREE of charge.
Click image above to view a BCBS produced informational video on the power of the RAM/BCBS Cooperative.
Please see our brochure for more detail on the expanded benefit package. Specific information regarding each benefit may be found below:
For more information please visit the RAMHIC page of our website.
We are excited to announce we have enhanced our Multiple Employer 401k (MEP) program. Available only to our members, we have a new partner, Transamerica Retirement Services. Transamerica is an industry leader in retirement plan marketplace and an expert in Multiple Employer 401k Retirement Plans.
In addition to Transamerica, you also have professional fiduciary investment management provided by Atlas Fiduciary Services, Inc., and outsourced fiduciary plan administration through Atlas Pension Administrators Inc. All of this and you can work with an advisor of your choice.
Adopting members will experience:
- Fewer plan administration duties
- Reduced fiduciary liability
- Streamlined costs.
- Flexible plan design
- Online account management
- Employee education and communication support
Now has never been a better time to set up a new 401k plan for your business! The federal government has tremendous tax credits for newly established plan, virtually making the prospects of offering a plan free.
If you already have a plan, a quick evaluation can help determine what your saving might be under our MEP 401k plan with our complementary benchmark analysis.
Massachusetts Child Labor Law Reminder
With the summer season fast approaching, thousands of summer jobs are set to be filled by our youth as the Commonwealth’s school year comes to an end. Retailers are reminded of the state’s child labor laws enforced by the Office of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
For a complete list of restrictions contained in the law please visit the Attorney General’s website.
Gov. Healey Files $62B FY26 State Budget Plan:
Proposes Sales Tax on Candy, New Synthetic Nicotine Tax
In January, Gov. Maura Healey released her FY26 State Budget Recommendation, which proposes to spend more than $62 billion in the upcoming fiscal year that begins on July 1, a spending increase of 7.4% over the bottom line of the FY25 budget she signed into law in July. As she did last year, the Governor again this budget cycle is seeking to pair her plan with a separate municipal tax package that would allow cities and towns to increase local option taxes on room occupancy, auto excise, and meals. Gov. Healey also filed a supplemental spending bill, H.51, making appropriations in the current fiscal year, FY25, utilizing excess surtax, or “Millionaire’s Tax,” revenue left unspent from FY23 and FY24. The $1.32 billion supp divides the spending between $858 million for transportation needs and $462 million towards education items. Click here to view a few specific tax policy changes of interest to RAM members.
MA House Passes Bill to Revamp CCC, Raise Cap on Retail Cannabis Licenses, Increase Purchase Limits, Regulate Hemp Products
The MA House of Representatives last week advanced a reform bill making a number of changes to the laws relative to cannabis in the Commonwealth, including an overhaul of the industry regulatory agency, the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). The bill passed unanimously, 153-0.
H.4206, An Act modernizing the commonwealth’s cannabis laws, reduces the size of the CCC board from five to three commissioners, all of whom will be appointed by the governor. The consolidation of appointing authority under the Executive Branch is a significant change from the current structure, where appointments are made by the governor, the attorney general, and the treasurer, with the treasurer appointing the chair of the board.
The bill increases the purchase and possession limit from one to two ounces of marijuana and directs the CCC to establish an equivalent possession limit across all product types. RAM had recently advocated in support of an increase in purchase limits before the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy.
The bill also raises the existing cap on retail licenses that any one entity can control from the current limit of three to six over a period of three years. And the legislation proposes to regulate and tax hemp products, requiring all products to be registered with the CCC. The sale of hemp-based beverages would only be permitted to be sold by retailers licensed to sell alcohol by the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC). Regarding medical marijuana, the bill eliminates the vertical integration requirement under current law.
The bill is now pending before the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
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