Should Salem Use Meals Tax to Cover the CPA?
Ward 4 City Councilor Jerry Ryan is hoping meals tax will help avoid imposing more taxes on local homeowners.
The Community Preservation Act was approved citywide earlier this month by about 1,500 votes. But in Ward 4, voters rejected it by about 400.
So it should come as no surprise that Ward 4 City Councilor Jerry Ryan proposed that the city use the meals tax to pay the roughly $30 per household that the recently-approved tax would impose.
Mayor Kimberly Driscoll has already said she plans to supplement the CPA tax revenues with meals tax revenues to ensure that Salem gets the maximum match from the CPA funds.
At Thursday's City Council meeting, Ryan suggested that the city cover the entire 3 percent from the meals tax to avoid imposing more taxes on local homeowners.
The issue was referred to a committee of the whole.
What do you think of using the meals tax? Did you support the CPA in Salem?
Let us know in the comments section below.
windpower
7:46 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Sounds like a great idea .
The surplus should also towards reducing our tax .
While we are at it how about the excess revenue from parking fees?
Mr. RYAN is not alone on council with these ideas . After all CPA was REJECTED
by council.
Ed WOLFE
Don Nadeau
8:28 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
3% not 1%? Does the state law allow substitution (which would minimize the matching funds we get from them)? Or the council voted for the voters to decide - which they have. What are the priorities for community (or maybe in this case neighborhood) preservation in Ward 4?
Lafayette Street Ace Hardware just told me I get 2% credit when my purchases total $250. Why wouldn't I shop local and benefit, all else being equal?
windpower
11:48 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Don They want to ADD funds into the raised 1% TAX to reach the amount that would have been rasised if it were 3% . So as to get max matching from the state .
KlassySalem
8:40 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
I don't think that's even legal. The city can take meals tax money, and add it to CPA money to get it matched, but I don't think they can use it to replace the 1% surcharge that voters approved.
chester suchecki
10:24 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
how about the mayor work for minimum wage and donate the rest of her salary to the cpa fund. with all the perks that comes with the mayors job she wont miss the money.
Carolyn Costain
8:03 pm on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Pass it off on the tourist not the home owners! We pay enough taxes and don't even get what we pay them for!