Local option taxes on the table in some communities
Faced with steep cuts in state aid, some cities and towns are starting to consider adopting new local taxes on hotel rooms and restaurant meals to bring in additional revenue.
The local-option taxes, enabled under the new budget signed last week by Governor Deval Patrick, are being examined in communities including Newton, Natick, Lexington, Milford, Millis, Plainville, and Wrentham.
Some business advocates and opponents of higher taxes oppose the additional levies, but others say they are more or less inevitable, since they represent a new revenue source for cash-starved cities and towns.
“We anticipate that a large number of communities will adopt the taxes over time,’’ said Geoffrey Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
Read more of the Globe West story here.
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Type your comment here...continue taxing the people until they demand reform.if the people due not demand reform,then a fool is easily seperated from their money.
Towns and cities love hotel and restaurant taxes since they regard them as a tax on visitors, not voters. However Massachusetts hotel rates are already way too high. With restaurants trying to survive with value price menus, the last thing they need is more taxes to drive away diners. Vote out ALL incumbents. Send a message that the political class won't be able to miss.
I think that towns need to live within their means...just like we are all trying to do.
It is a stretch already for me and many others to pay our bills and have a night out occasionally, I guess it is the night out that will have to go! This has more effect on the town than the few dollars you want to charge for additional taxes. The restaurant makes less money, the servers make less in tips, the 5% tax is not collected...so I would say that town really loses. I may even go to the next town over that does not have a 'TOWN' tax. I don't like having to live the way I do now, but I have no choice and now you want to tax me MORE! and then MORE! whenever another cost or raise for town workers or new pension plan comes up. When will it stop?????
Stop the insanity, cut taxes! Make the cuts. Every family has cut back in their spending, why is State so slow to follow suit?
This is a repeat of the mortgage disaster on a county by county basis. No more taxing. Vote out the Taxers.
And make sure your vote is NOT diluted by an independent running for office.
Split the vote and the incumbent remains in office. NO WAY!
Vote out the TaxocRats.
Guess they will not stop until we revolt....start the revolution.
How about working on trimming the budget rather than figuring out another way to get into my wallet? When are these tax zealots going to stop?
People will stop going out to eat in these towns which will causes restaurants to close and laying people off which will cause less taxes to be collected on pay checks which will causes taxes to rise to cover the loss of what was not collected which will cause people to stop going out to eat . . .
This is why we need business people in charge of this state.
I just boutght $300 worth of cleaning/paper products non-perishable food products and a few cadgets at Walmart in NH. Increases in any tax is regressive as poor people cannot afford to get to Nh nor can they afford to lay out #00 or 400 for products they will need over the next 3 to six months. I do however hope they will use the internet to avoid these regressive taxes. Perhaps we will all get smart and move to another state.
I KNOW my family will go to N.H.
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