The idea of the variable rooms and meals tax for towns is a trap set by the democrat majority legislature. I mentioned it here but let me reiterate how it works for those who may not have noticed or guessed for themselves.
Democrat run State government, in its quest for a broad based tax, spends money it does not have. To justify this it then imagines revenues that will never exist. The result is a perennial deficit problem with designs on new revenue solutions that will open the gates and flood the veins and arteries of our spendaholics in Concord with more of your money, which they will spend until–like any proper addict– they need more. Ask them how much is enough, and they can’t answer you because government has no bottom. But it does, and we’ve seen it.
Failing to get the tax they desire they shift gears. Instead of cutting back state government they cram down on top of local government. The cost burden is unloaded on the towns who must now directly tax the peoples property to offset the theft of their property by their bigger brother in Concord. The goal here is to make the property tax burden appear unfair and excessive, motivating the people to revolt and beg for a broad based tax.
But that has not worked yet either. So we get the variable rooms and meals tax option. This retarded notion is sold by the Borg queen of the House financial Services committe, Marjorie Smith (D -Kaching!) as
“… an opportunity for cities and towns that choose to do so to add some additional revenue without having to increase their property tax,” she said. “As a control for that, it is completely in the hands of the cities and towns, and none of the money would come to the state.”
Let me translate. You milk the cows, we’ll drink the milk. Watch out, they kick.
Here’s the new trap. The state’s addiction is not going away as long as democrats are pulling the levers. The new tax serves two opportunities for drunk leftist tax and spender in Concord. First, it creates an opportunity for the state to ask for more because the towns have gone and done the heavy lifting for them already. Even if they havenot, some have, so deal with it. It also gives them incentive to suggest that any new tax at the local level has become a burden and that to save the towns people from that and any additional increases in property taxes, the state should implement a broad based tax to offer relief to the struggling towns.
No matter how you slice this, the goal is more revenue for more spending at the State level. And there is no end in sight for that. The only way to stop the cram-downs and the endless cycle of deficit dramas is to get the democrats out of controlling positions in the legislature, find a governor with enough of a spine to tell the House and Senate "no" on their rediculous budgets and revenue projections, and to cut-spending.
Cross Posted From NH Insider
