The announcement of the pending relocation of the Haverhill Jackson Lumber operation to New Hampshire may be the first tangible sign of the type of impact that the sales tax increase will have on the Merrimack Valley. Jackson Lumber owner Al Torrisi is looking for a smaller parcel, and still has his Headquarters in Lawrence, but there is no question that the sales tax hike is playing a role in his thought process here. We have seen the results of the existing sales tax disparity along the border for years now, with retailing on the Massachusetts side of the border vaporized by Massachusetts tax policy. Today’s Tribune editorial jumped on this, and you can believe that this tax policy will have these types of negative consequences for years to come.

Read the Tribune editorial here.