To the editor:
I noticed that Rep. Mary Grant, D-Beverly, was the only local state representative to vote against the sales tax holiday for this year (Salem News, July 23, 2008), which passed both the House and the Senate. Two items supported by the sales tax are the MBTA and the SBA (School Building Assistance).
As one of two people who represent the City of Beverly on the MBTA Advisory Board, I must say: We need all the sales tax we can get!
The MBTA Advisory Board approves the MBTA budget and Beverly also has a seat on the finance committee that reviews that budget. The MBTA is in a grave financial crisis. It gets a large share of the sales tax revenue to offset costs not covered by fares.
I went to Boston recently with friends, using the commuter rail. One of them remarked about how high the fares are now. One reason for that is that Massachusetts sales tax revenue is way down; when sales tax revenues go down, fares have to go up.
Furthermore, one cent of the sales tax goes to the SBA, which funds school buildings, so it doesn't help the building of our schools to decrease sales-tax revenues.
So why should we have a sales tax holiday? So big-box stores can make a lot of money selling items people really don't need?
There is no sales tax on food or clothing, so a sales tax holiday doesn't help the people who can't afford to buy food or clothing because the economy is so bad. The sales tax holiday doesn't cover gasoline or home energy costs. The sales tax holiday doesn't help the state to provide better, cheaper public transportation to its citizens, which would keep more cars off the road, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and warding off global warming.
What good DOES it do?
MARY RODRICK
Beverly
