Healey campaign makes ad buy to celebrate tax relief package

A woman stands behind a podium as a crowd applauds in front of her

Image | Courtesy of Sam Doran / State House News Service Gov. Maura Healey delivers the State of the Commonwealth address on Jan. 17.

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By Ella Adams | State House News Service

Remember the roughly $1 billion tax relief package Gov. Maura Healey signed into law last fall?

It's tax season, and if you had somehow forgotten the conclusion to a 20-month storyline that began under former Gov. Charlie Baker, a brand-new ad should refresh the memory.

Healey's campaign invested in a significant digital ad buy on Hulu, YouTube and social media, which rolled out Monday morning, reminding Bay Staters about the tax relief package the governor signed in October.

The Healey camp won't say how much it spent on the ad, which serves more than one purpose. It's both a reminder that the time has arrived to file annual tax returns and a victory lap for Healey, who can pat herself on the back for checking off a campaign promise, albeit on a measure the Legislature failed to complete under her predecessor.

The ad itself points out, "history was made" when Healey became the first Massachusetts governor to sign a major tax relief law in two decades. The package included over a dozen specific tax measures, aimed both at making the state more affordable for families and more competitive for businesses.

The 30-second spot pitches Healey as a governor "working to save you money and make Massachusetts more affordable," and promises that Bay Staters "will experience money back in their pockets" this tax season.

It lands not just in tax season, but in a presidential election year when scores of state lawmakers, mostly Democrats, who helped steer the tax relief bill to Healey's desk are gearing up for reelection. (Even though her campaign cut and pushed the video spot, Healey is not on the ballot again until 2026.)

Tax relief will cut into available state revenues at a time when lagging tax collections and soaring costs, especially in the state's emergency family shelter system, inflict major pressure on budget-writers.