Taxes

For fiscal year 2010, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimates the state will take in just $666 million - a $1.3 billion drop. This is virtually identical to the fiscal crisis Massachusetts faced in 1988.

Then there are level-headed critics such as Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Widmer says the local economy gets just a minimal benefit for the holiday, which caused the state to forego an estimated $15 million in tax revenue last year.

Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said there's "no way to tell" if the plan will resurface as the state's budget woes deepen.