Marblehead board opposes meal tax increase proposal

MARBLEHEAD-Things move faster the second time around.Last Wednesday selectmen quickly and unanimously voted “to reiterate the board?s previous position to oppose the local option 1 percent meals tax proposed by Gov. Deval Patrick.”The motion ended two weeks of debate over the Republican Town Committee?s request that the selectmen take a stand on the meals tax, recognizing the effect of the economic downturn on local businesses.Four selectmen were present two weeks ago. Two of them supported a repeat vote and two opposed it, so any motion would have failed on a tie. Instead, board members voted to send the committee and the Chamber of Commerce a letter reiterating their previous position.This time, all four selectmen voted for the motion.Republican Town Committee Chairwoman Amy Carnevale?s reaction was mixed. “We wish that this vote could have been taken at the late meeting as we requested and thus quelled all the uncertainty that the non-vote created these past two weeks,” she said in a prepared statement.The selectmen who resisted taking a new vote on the matter were Selectmen Chairman Jackie Belf-Becker and Selectman Judy Jacobi.?We took this vote before the economy went downhill,” Jacobi said.Selectmen Chairman Jackie Belf-Becker called for the board to reiterate its 2007 position against the meals tax.?We took that (2007) vote openly and publicly and our position hasn?t changed,” she said. “But this story has taken on a life of its own.”The Republican Town Committee took a lengthy stand against the meal tax at a meeting this winter, asking selectmen to promise that they will not implement the new tax if the Legislature approves it.Carnevale said the committee “is pleased” with the board?s vote.?We are happy that this vote sends a message back to the State House that local taxes are not the way to balance the budget. Our local Marblehead businesses are already finding it hard to survive this recession,” she said.