BOSTON (AP) - Changing consumer habits, tax disparities and state mandates are among the challenges facing a struggling retail sector in Massachusetts.
That’s according to a draft report issued Monday by a 13-member special commission made up of merchants and legislators.
The migration of consumers to online shopping sites, the lack of a sales tax in neighboring New Hampshire and requirements such as paying time-and-a-half to workers on Sundays were factors cited in the report as weighing on brick-and-mortar stores.
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The report offered no immediate recommendations but could help inform the Legislature as they consider remedies to help storeowners.
The Retailers Association of Massachusetts has proposed a November ballot question that calls for lowering the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 5 percent and establishing a permanent summer sales tax holiday.
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