BARRE, Vt. (AP) — The mayor of Barre and the head of the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce have different views about a local tax that will be voted on by city residents on Town Meeting Day next month.
The money from the 1 percent local option tax on rooms, meals and alcohol in the city would be used to help pay for repaving Barre’s streets and sidewalks.
The Times Argus reports that in a Wednesday debate Mayor Thomas Lauzon says the premise of the tax is simple, people who visit Barre would help pay for some public projects and the cost would be minimal. He says the cost for a $61 restaurant meal would be 61 cents.
But Chamber of Commerce President Bill Moore said the tax would be a burden to consumers.