Meals Tax Referendum on Ballots Tuesday

Accomack County voters on Nov. 2 will decided whether the county should have a food and beverages tax with the revenues being given to the county's public schools.

A 4% tax increase would affect nearly 60 businesses and generate $500,000 to $700,000 per year according to Accomack County officials.

The tax would apply to food or drinks purchased from restaurants or caterers and includes items such as fountain drinks, cooked food sold at a grocery story for off-premises consumption, doughnuts that are not pre-packaged, alcoholic drinks served at a bar or restaurant and sandwiches sold for on or off premises consumption.

A recent poll conducted at ShoreDailyNews.com in June showed more than 80% of respondents would not support the Meals Tax Referendum.
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'Tax Increase' Supporters Clarified

There seems to be some confusion and frustration by sincere voters, as expressed in The Daily Times recently, relative to who voted for and who voted against tax increases in Annapolis. Perhaps it would be helpful for me to comment.

In the 2007 special session, I voted against all tax increases. However, in the House of Delegates both Jim Mathias and Norm Conway took a different position and voted for HB 2. The bill contained a 25 percent increase in corporate taxes, an income tax increase, a new recording and transfer tax, and a new "combined reporting" tax on Maryland business.

Though I opposed all tax increases, the "combined reporting" tax was especially egregrious because it would damage our Maryland-based poultry companies. In my opinion, we must maintain a strong, viable poulty industry here on the lower Eastern Shore. It is a foundation of our local economy.

I encourage voters to go online to verify the voting record of all candidates. Though we can respectfully disagree as legislators, voters should know how we voted.

To view this information, go to http://mlis.state.md.us/ 2007s1/votes/house/0033.htm.

Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus

Westover

Stoltzfus will retire from the Maryland Senate, District 38, at the end of his current term in January. --Editor

www.delmarvanow.com