#1 2009-03-27 11:50:25
What do you think about a 1% local option restaurant tax in Wareham?
Here is my take on it. Right now my financial situation is kind of bad and money is a little tight. I don't eat out very often because I don't really have the money to spend on something like that. But every other month or so I do indulge and take the little lady out or have a meal with friends. Even though I don't really have the money to eat out to begin with, the addition of a 1% meal tax is not going to make me think twice about going out to eat. It also will not be deducted from the waiter's or waitresses' tip. They will still get the standard 15-20% from me depending on their level of service.
The observer mentioned the meal tax could raise about $400,000 a year and that the selectmen are against the local meal tax. I don't like to pay taxes either but they are a fact of life and you get what you pay for. I think $400,000 per year is a conservative estimate. With all of the fast food and sit down restaurants in Wareham the town would earn some badly needed revenue to maintain essential services. The last couple times I went out to eat the restaurants I went to were packed. I looked around at all the other diners and joked to my companions, "Well, so much for the bad economy". Even with all the doom and gloom we hear about the economy people are still going to indulge and have fun. I don't think a 1% meal tax will deter anyone from eating out. If it does then they probably shouldn't be eating out to begin with.
If the selectmen are against the meal tax then what is their plan for getting this town on better financial footing? Something needs to be done and it needs to be done now.
What are your thoughts?
Last edited by TBL (2009-03-27 11:57:08)
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#2 2009-03-27 12:23:48
TBL wrote:
If the selectmen are against the meal tax then what is their plan for getting this town on better financial footing? Something needs to be done and it needs to be done now.
The Selectmen were reacting to an aggrieved voter and don't give a tinker's damn for the plight restaurants, until it comes time to pay the check. Then its free meals and drinks on the house! For them. Only for them.
Damn it, just can't find good waitstaff anymore, huh? Brenda, my coffee's cold?!
Want to save money? Forget school buses. Make kids walk or bike to school. Stop the sidewalk plowing idiocy and hire kids for it. Or get off the fucking lazy boy and do it yourself.
Tax the wealthier communties around us - the same one's who won't reciprocate with our library - to relieve the burden of supporting a hospital.
Good idea, TBL. Anyone else?
Last edited by billw (2009-03-27 12:25:47)
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#3 2009-03-27 13:08:00
bill how dare you even suggest such practical and reasonable things. you must remember back to a time when people cared about their communities. you know like selectmen who did their job without crying about pay. and by the way i wonder how they did it without a cell phone (yeah brenda you)
Bill we are now living in the United States Of Entitlement. Did you know that if you become a junkie and have to go on methadone the state pays for that. What they also do at the methadone clinic is assist you with paperwork in attempting to obtain Disability benefits they dont actually care if you are disabled or not. Twenty year old kids who never worked a day and already on the dole.
Not only that the state spends 6 million dollars a year to drive these people to the clinic. If you are embarressed or dont feel comfortable going to the methadone clinic in your town they will pay to drive you to new bedford i dont hear this service even questioned by deval patrick.
300 billion a year in federal dollars for illegal alien health and welfare benefits
and the first thing fed state and local gov do is lay off the people who work .
If politiciians had jobs they might be sympathetic about someone losing theirs. Yeah you two clowns im talking to you
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#4 2009-03-27 13:44:04
oneeardog wrote:
Bill we are now living in the United States Of Entitlement. Did you know that if you become a junkie and have to go on methadone the state pays for that. What they also do at the methadone clinic is assist you with paperwork in attempting to obtain Disability benefits they dont actually care if you are disabled or not. Twenty year old kids who never worked a day and already on the dole.
What a bright idea! More free time to get in trouble. That is just what a recovering heroin addict needs. Who needs a job? Work is for suckers.
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#5 2009-03-27 13:49:48
A few weeks ago I believe the selectmen were for the increase on meal taxes.
In addition, Sanguinet's "balanced" budget has the increased meals tax factored into it.
Way to communicate BOS.
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#6 2009-03-27 14:16:11
millions for eelgrass, attorneys and streetnames, but if your making $2.50 an hour to hell with ya
ill never understand
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#7 2009-03-27 14:20:21
can you imagine that fat ass brenda as a watress (she said she was a watress some time ago at the last selectmens meeting)ole poker face if she waited on me with a face like that i would jusy throw up.she probelly worked at some dive. i would not give that dog 10 cents for a tip,what a dog. wareham lived without a 1% meals tax for a long time ,just vote these jokers out and stop spending all this money on law suits then we wiil have all the money we will need . l say charge for school busing like a lot of other towns do or let them walk.
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#8 2009-03-27 14:24:40
At first I was against it. We have alot of new restaurants in town and it seems like a tax would be a burden in a time when we want them getting off the ground and providing people with jobs.
Then, I was for it. The BOS has run the town into the ground, and it seemed like this might lead to some needed revenue.
Then I was against it again. I remember that still, the BOS would be in charge of the money, and the estimated $400,000 would just mean Brenda could call K and P twice as much to check on how all the vendetta lawsuits are going.
In the end, the money would not go to anything good under the watch of these clowns, so I'm against it.
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#9 2009-03-27 14:26:08
can you see brenda working for shooters rest. and her in the shooters add in that skimpy outfit,my gaud as mixie says what a dog . i am sure bussiness at shooters would go to hell in a handbasket. she would have to pay me to eat at her rest.
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#10 2009-03-27 14:38:35
I don't get the big deal..on an average meal for two, it would add like 50 cents (max) .small change per person, but it would add up for the restaurants. Also, people tip based on the total of the meal, so Brenda's point is pointless..it would add to the amount waiters and waitresses receive in tips..
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#11 2009-03-27 14:58:06
ihateliz wrote:
can you see brenda working for shooters rest. and her in the shooters add in that skimpy outfit,my gaud as mixie says what a dog . i am sure bussiness at shooters would go to hell in a handbasket. she would have to pay me to eat at her rest.
Oh my gaud! Is that why Hooters in Hyannis went out of business? Brockton Brenda was waitressing there?
As for the increase taxes for meals, it wouldn't be much for the individual diner, but the real question is, would the BOS use the money for something responsible or one of their pet projects?
Last edited by Mixie (2009-03-27 15:08:19)
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#12 2009-03-27 15:03:10
Maybe they could use it to send selectmen clerks to shorthand class or buy a few tape recorders...anger management classes are free, right?
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#13 2009-03-27 15:13:27
commonsense wrote:
Sanguinet's "balanced" budget has the increased meals tax factored into it.
Wait a second. They budgeted a meal tax and now they're against it? Brilliant.
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#14 2009-03-27 15:16:36
Good luck getting him to admit to it if the BOS have changed their minds
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#15 2009-03-27 15:33:25
billw wrote:
commonsense wrote:
Sanguinet's "balanced" budget has the increased meals tax factored into it.
Wait a second. They budgeted a meal tax and now they're against it? Brilliant.
It's true. This is why we are going deeper and deeper into the shitter. No one has a clue what to do, and no one communicates.
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#16 2009-03-28 15:33:11
I love the analogy of Brockton Brenda working for Shooters. But has anyone been to Shooters lately? We now have our own adult entertainment center in Wareham on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One day the uniform is Bikini and the other day is lingere. For a few bucks you can get to view the beauties assets. Awsome!! Lets just pray we don't see Ole' Brenda in there working!! Oh yeah BOS, when did we allow young girls to serve food and booze in their underwear? I guess that must be covered in the small print.
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#17 2009-03-28 20:00:05
who controls the liquor licences ,the board of selectman .what papper does shooters advertise in ,the wareham observer is this a quid pro quo?slager and brucein this together.
shooters advertises in the wareham observer, the selectman controll liquor licences,slager and bruce are butt pirates ,is their a quid pro quo going on here between bruce , slager and shooters?
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#18 2009-03-28 23:06:56
Ok...so many things to comment on here. Meal tax...1% is a very menial amount ...it wouldn't burden me considerably on the occasions I dine out. However, I would be concerned about how the additional revenue is spent. Should it be included in the budget figures it does seem irresponsible of the board to not support it.
Methadone clinics...are we all aware we have one here in Wareham? Perhaps that is the reason why we seem to have an inordinately high number of disabled individuals...stands to reason junkies are where clinics are.
As to Shooters, if we have an unlicensed dirty bar in town...what the heck are officials waiting for (regardless of where the bar advertises).
Last edited by warehamhuh (2009-03-28 23:09:36)
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#19 2009-03-29 20:35:42
Hmmmm, if my memory serves me correctly, didn't Shooters have a run in with the BOS on a few occassions for various reasons, also I remember hearing of shooters having a run in with the Conservation Board due to many violations of a septic and parking lot renovation. At no time did I ever see a building permit for the addition to the bar, which added alot more seats around the stage ..... oops I mean't bar, sorry. The dumpster is always over flowing.... disgusting!! Hmmm There have been occassions when the ragman has been sighted here. Could it be that the ring of deciept is bigger than we expect? This is just one of the many issues that the BOS and other town boards allows to slip by. But, hey! Lets attack the departments that actually do something positive for this town. The pool of Selectmen,and Selectwomen needs a good dose of chlorine.
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#20 2009-03-29 22:31:28
1% MEAL TAX, hey, we all work hard for our $. But a 1% meal tax wouldn't hurt the town that bad, providing there were strict guidelines for its use published for all to see. $10 on a $100 really won't hurt most of us, yet I undersatnd that 1% to some may be hard to swallow. If the estimate of 400,000 dollars is close , I think we can use the money for some good in this town. As for the BOS not wanting it. Hell ,they only go to places that kiss there ass and give up complimetary meals and beverages, so they won't pay 1% any way.
But I would love to here of where this extra $ might end up, if a 1% meals tax were instituted. I hope it won't be used for outstanding legal bills, car insurance, or bar tabs!!!
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#21 2009-03-29 22:39:30
EYES WIDE SHUT wrote:
$10 on a $100 really won't hurt most of us
1% of $100 is $1.00
Unless you were including all 6% plus tip or something.
Not trying to be wise, but just trying to show how little it really is.
Last edited by commonsense (2009-03-29 22:43:04)
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#22 2009-03-29 22:45:35
Hey, here's an idea- why not print the tax bills with a check off like the state uses that asks if we would like to volunteer to pay more taxes. I'm not in favor of any additional taxes. I don't trust the BOS to use our hard earned and scarce funds responsibly. I will never believe that those drastic cuts needed to be made to the library. I think they rejoiced that tax revenues were down and used that to twist things around and go for the throat of the library.
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#23 2009-03-29 23:02:27
Thanks COMMONSENSE! This is why I'm not an accountant LOL
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#24 2009-03-30 07:43:47
Mixie wrote:
Hey, here's an idea- why not print the tax bills with a check off like the state uses that asks if we would like to volunteer to pay more taxes. I'm not in favor of any additional taxes.
Now that IS an idea! A volunteer override type of thing. Call it “The put up or shut up (tax) bill”.
This would fund what the people truly want and cut down on all the whining. Sort of a put your money where your mouth is.
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