No to meals tax in Easthampton

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - Despite calls from recently re-elected Mayor Michael A. Tautznik to endorse the motion, city councilors narrowly defeated a proposed local meals tax increase Wednesday night that would have added 38 cents to a $50 restaurant tab.

The motion, which was defeated by a 5-3 vote, proposed a local option meals excise tax that would have added 0.75 percent to the 6.25 percent state meals tax on meals served at restaurants across the city and would have provided approximately $98,000 to the city annually, according to estimates from the Department of Revenue.

Although the meeting at White Brook Middle School was meant to draw public comment from local residents, the only audience member to approach the podium was Tautznik, who depicted the tax as a necessary evil during a time when the city expects to face a substantial drop in state aid.

"I want you to support this meals tax because it means about $100,000 to us ... and 75 cents out of $100 is not going to stop anybody from eating their meals in this city, nor is it going to take away 75 cents from the tip money for any waiter or waitress," Tautznik said before the vote. "I hope you accept this source of revenue. We're dying for revenue in this community and our neighbors, with the exception of Southampton, have all adopted this tax."

Although Tautznik apologized to councilors for complicating the issue by suggesting that funding raised by the tax could be used to create an economic development staff position, the majority of members seemed to feel that it was the wrong time to implement any new taxes on city residents.

Voting against the motion were councilors Robert M. Harrison, Joseph P. McCoy, Daniel D. Rist, Justin P. Cobb and Donald L. Cykowski.

"This really came down to me as just being another tax on people, and I am getting sick and tired of having them taxed for what I believe is no good reason at all," Harrison said.

Tautznik found support on the motion from councilors Salem Derby, Ronald D. Chateauneuf and from former mayoral rival James Kwiecinski, who said his time campaigning altered his perspective on the issue.

"Maybe it was running for mayor, but it makes you look at it from a different perspective. I want to give our chief executive every opportunity to have flexibility in balancing the budget," Kwiecinski said, adding, "It would be really easy to sit here and not give the mayor that opportunity, but I think it would be a disservice to our city to do so."

Rist, who said he felt "now is not the appropriate time to consider something of this nature," stood opposed to the motion because the national economic downturn has already translated to tough times for local business owners.

"I do hear what the mayor is saying, that we need to bring back people to the city and that we need to get some revenue, but on the other hand this is a tax and now is not the time to add another tax to our citizens, no matter how small it is," he said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.