The Globe reported that both Framingham and Natick - the densest and most commercial of the towns in Metrowest, and home to the Natick Collection along the busy route 9 corridor, were able to raise some impressive funds thanks to the new "local" meals tax, which communities can enact after some legislation was passed in 2009 allowing them to tack on .75% to the check as a local fund raiser.
Framingham has netted 1.5 Million dollars, and Natick has done even better on a per capita basis, netting over $1 Million.
Personally, I think this is a tax that makes sense. We all like to eat out, but it's pretty amazing, not too many of us want a bevy of new Restaurants in our town (or any other commercial zoning and development). The towns that have zoned for this, and deal with the traffic and the headaches should probably partake in the spoils, as it were. Not as sure the state-wide tax of 6.25% makes as much sense, but that's really another topic. Hopefully, this will encourage some of the NIMBY folks to take another look at expanding the commercial zones in their town - to offset the taxes on their homes.
You can read more here.
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Matt Heisler
*All information is posted in good faith and is assumed to be reliable, but may rely on third party information sources.
