A new standard for local control — letting towns and cities establish their own revenue options such as an income or sales tax to replace the property tax — will have a public hearing this morning.
The House Ways and Means Committee will consider House Bill 243, which is sponsored by Rep. Charles Weed (D-Keene) and co-sponsored by committee member Rep. William Butynski (D-Hinsdale).
As written, Weed’s proposal would allow “towns and cities to adopt an alternative revenue tax or program for the funding of its local government costs beginning with the 2013 property tax year. The local revenue option shall be in lieu of the property tax used to fund general government, local school, and county costs.”
Those revenue sources could include income, sales or value-added taxes with the goal being, according to the bill, “the tax or revenue program is applied proportionally and reasonably within the taxing district, and is designed to replace the revenue derived from property taxes.”
The committee will also consider two bills which would turn back the clock on scores of taxes and fee increases enacted since 2006 (House Bill 646) and 2007 (House Bill 645) and would impact every generating office in state government. The repeals would:
- Cut the hazardous waste operator fee from $7,500 to $5,000.
- Cut the tobacco tax from $1.78 per pack to .80 cents per pack.
- Reduce the fee for a weapons carry license for out of state applications from $100 to $20.
- Reduce the cost of vanity motor vehicle plate sets from $40 to $25.
- Reduce initial and annual fees for mortgage servicing companies from $500 to $100.
- Reduce the pesticide use registration fee from $120 to $80.
- Cut the fee for an application for a low hazard potential dam from $3,000 to $250.
Ways and Means will also consider six other bills today. Executive session may follow.
>> Thursday, Feb. 17, public meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee, Legislative Office Building, Room 202, beginning at 10 a.m.
This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.