Massuchusetts Faces $243m Tax Shortfall In September; Layoffs to Follow

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced on Friday morning that layoffs would occur among state jobs

after September tax revenues came in at over $240 million below estimates, placing the state in another fiscal crisis.

“Today’s news means we have more work to do,” said the governor.

Patrick has already made $7 billion in cuts and slashed 1,400 state positions. Although he said there would “likely be more” layoffs, he did not get too specific.

The governor will meet with economists to decide how much will have to be cut from the 2010 budget before he announced the final cuts by the end of October.

“State revenue always recovers more slowly than the private economy,” Patrick said. “The good news is that the private sector is on the road to recovery.”