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SPONSOR OF Business Briefs in the Franklin Observer
The chamber serves the communities of Bellingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Medway, Milford, Mendon, Millis, and Upton. More information is available at https://www.tricountychamberma.org
Permits Pulled for Trader Joe’s in Milford
According to a recent Milford Patch article, building permits for the former Staples location in Milford say that the location will be converted to house a Trader Joe’s location – though Trader Joe’s company officials declined to confirm the information. Assuming the plans move ahead, the location would provide a location for the popular chain that is closer to Franklin than the Foxboro location (pictured above) or locations in Shrewsbury or Framingham. The location is in a shopping plaza called Granite Heights, sandwiched between Lowes and Target in Milford.
Spilka Supports Designing Women
Massachusetts Senate passed An act relative to advancing the profession of commercial interior design. Under this legislation, led by Sen. Karen Spilka, commercial interior designers would have the opportunity to become registered professionals in the state of Massachusetts. As the law currently stands, with certain state and federal projects requiring licensure, Massachusetts designers often have to contract with larger firms or individuals with architectural licenses in order to be eligible for these projects. This often results in lost revenue for interior designers in this majority-women field. Creating a licensed profession statewide would enable registered interior designers to bid individually on certain projects currently off-limits, growing small businesses that are often women-led, and incentivizing graduates in the field to stay in Massachusetts to build their careers and not have to go out-of-state to be able to bid on work.
May Tax Collections Off
Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder today announced that preliminary revenue collections for May totaled $2.447 billion, $260 million or 9.6% less than actual collections in May 2023, and $192 million or 7.3% below benchmark. FY2024 year-to-date collections totaled approximately $36.306 billion, which is $1.279 billion or 3.7% more than collections in the same period of FY2023, and $700 million or 2.0% more than the year-to-date benchmark. “May collections decreased in all major tax types in comparison to May 2023,” said Commissioner Snyder. “The decrease in income tax withholding and sales tax were due, in part, to typical timing factors in collections. The decrease in non-withheld income tax was driven mostly by a decrease in the number of payments received this May relative to May 2023. The decrease in corporate and business tax was due to an unfavorable increase in refunds. The decrease in ‘all other’ tax is mostly attributable to a decrease in estate tax, a category that tends to fluctuate.”
