May 8, 2020
Please Participate In This Important RAM Survey On Reopening the Economy
The Retailers Association of Massachusetts has been working quite aggressively behind the scenes, and in recent weeks, very publicly in the press to push for safe, and reasonable openings for stores, restaurants, and other consumer oriented small businesses. In order to best educate our elected and appointed government officials, as well as opinion leaders and the press, it is vital we completely understand your needs and views.
RAM believes strongly that reopening Main Streets and our shopping and dining districts must occur as currently planned on or around May 18, and certainly prior to the Memorial Day Weekend. We can’t keep moving the goal posts backwards without giving small businesses appropriate first downs.
Please take less than 5 minutes to participate in this important Survey Monkey.
COVID-19 Essential Services FAQs - Updated
The Baker Administration made changes to the COVID-19 Essential Services guidance twice this week, on Tuesday and again on Thursday, May 7th.
Tuesday’s update modified the COVID-19 Essential Services FAQs to establish strict guidelines for the allowance of a limited number of employees back into closed stores and warehouses to fulfill and ship remote orders. The FAQs were updated again on Thursday to include rules allowing for the resumption of golf in the Commonwealth, again providing strict guidelines to follow. Updates to the FAQs take immediate effect.
RAM monitors the FAQs closely and will continue to notify members as they are updated.
MA DOR Reports Steep Drop in April Revenue Collections
The MA Department of Revenue (DOR) announced this week that preliminary revenue collections for April totaled $1.98 billion – a 54.2% decrease compared to April 2019 collections. Collections were greatly impacted by the extension of the traditional April deadline for many tax categories until July of this year.
Sales and use tax collections for April totaled $469 million, $101 million or 17.7% less than April 2019. For sales and meals tax, these numbers reflect actual March collections, which were remitted in April. Of note, regular sales tax collections (excluding meals and motor vehicles) actually increased 2.2% compared to April 2019, despite the ongoing health crisis, while meals fell 55.8% and autos 67.5%. This is reflective of the increasing movement to online sales and the impact of the states’ increased collection authority to require remittance from marketplace sellers (eff. 10/01/2019).
AG Healey Highlights Resources for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors
Online Resources and Statewide Distribution of Multilingual Resource Flyers to be Displayed in Essential Businesses
Attorney General Maura Healey launched an information campaign highlighting critical resources available for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault during the COVID-19 pandemic. The AG’s Office created a dedicated webpage compiling these resources and partnered with the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA) to create and distribute multilingual resource flyers across the state. The AG’s Office worked with the business community to display these flyers where survivors can see them—in open essential businesses that are still regularly accessed during the public health crisis.
Operation Open Doors: NRF Guidance for Retailers on Reopening Stores
As retail businesses begin to open to employees and customers, Operation Open Doors will provide operational guidelines and considerations developed with input from hundreds of retail industry leaders convened by the National Retail Federation. The effort prioritizes four functional areas for America’s retail sector: Health and Safety, People and Personnel, Logistics and Supply Chain, and Litigation and Liability.
Click here to learn more about these issues and how to prepare your business for reopening.
* Please note that RAM members receive a free NRF membership, and therefore can have access to these resources. Registration for the NRF website is necessary.
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