Saturday, August 10, 2019

OUR VIEW: Time For A Dorchester Sales Tax To Fund Public Works?


Recently, folks in next-door Friend got a peek at options to replace the community's 1936 pool. Friend's city council is expected to put a question regarding a bond issue and city sales tax on the November ballot. 

The cost for the new Friend pool -- including partial demolition and remodeling -- is estimated to be around $2.5 million, paid for by the taxpayer. 

Compare that to the new Dorchester splash pad, estimated to be around $225,000 and paid for by donations.

In our opinion, when it comes to luxuries like pools and water parks, Dorchester did things the right way by using the community foundation to collect donations over a couple of years. Pay for things as you go.  

But we aren't in the business of telling other towns what to do; that's not our purpose here. 

Instead, we want to draw attention to Friend's use of its city sales tax. Currently, Friend has a 1% sales tax. It's not a huge burden, but it provides city leaders with options they wouldn't otherwise have when looking at big public projects.

If Dorchester were to have a similar sales tax, the funds could be used for streets, water and sewer -- real priorities. This is especially relevant following last year's Supreme Court ruling allowing states to collect sales taxes for online purchases.

But our community has never had a sales tax, to our knowledge. 

Now is the time, with new board members at the helm, for Dorchester to consider a sales tax. 

Our community has needs that should be addressed soon. An almost unnoticed sales tax would pay big dividends in Dorchester, while ensuring that -- unlike income and property taxes -- everyone would have skin in the game.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Village Dweller checks all reader comments to determine if they are appropriate for print.