Editor’s note: This article is by Howard Weiss-Tisman of the Brattleboro Reformer, in which it was first published March 24, 2014.
BRATTLEBORO — For the second time in as many years Town Meeting Representatives have rejected a local option tax that would have helped raise revenues to offset the rising tax rate.
At Representative Town Meeting on Saturday the members overwhelmingly defeated a warning article that would have established a 1 percent tax on some retail goods.
The question was defeated on a voice vote. Voters on Town Meeting Day approved a nonbinding resolution in favor of the new tax.
Town Meeting Representatives rejected the same question in October 2012 at a special town meeting when the $14.1 million police-fire station renovation project was approved.
Town Meeting Representatives debated the issue Saturday for about 90 minutes.
Stan Borofsky, co-owner of Sam’s Outdoors Outfitters, said the tax had already been discussed.
He said downtown business owners were working hard to stay afloat, and the new tax would make it only harder. Large retailers have been moving to Keene, N.H., because New Hampshire has no sales tax, Borofsky said.
He said he supported the police-fire renovation, but argued against using the new tax.
“This is a very big deal for us at Sam’s,” Borofsky said. “An additional tax is just another nail in the coffin for our business owners. The biggest threat is the loss of businesses in downtown.”
Additional Town Meeting members spoke, and almost all of them said they rejected the idea of instituting a local option tax.
But Eli Gould made arguments in favor of the tax.
“We need to consider this local option tax,” he said. “We as a body have put out major mandates and now we have to look at every possible source of funding. If we made a choice to spend we need to look at every possible choice to raise funds.”
Selectboard member David Schoales said it was a tough choice, but he said higher property taxes would be more damaging than an additional 1 percent sales tax, and he said he was in favor of the new tax.
Town Meeting member Steve Phillips said the tax would hurt business and that the Selectboard had to control its spending.
“Our high taxes are not a result of not enough tax revenue,” Phillips said. “Our high taxes are a result of too much spending.”
And Town Meeting member Bob Tortolani said while his neighbors were concerned about the rising tax rate, they also supported downtown businesses and he said he was opposed to the new tax.
