College students could feel the brunt of Mayor Menino’s tax proposals through more costly nights out on the town, if the proposals are approved by the legislature.
Menino’s 76-item proposal, announced in December, includes an increase from five to six percent in Boston’s restaurant sales tax and a 50-cent surcharge on tickets for some of the city’s main entertainment sectors, such as movies, concerts and sporting events. According to Menino’s spokesperson, the restaurant tax alone will increase the city’s revenue by $17 million.
‘It certainly makes sense for the legislature to give cities some additional revenue-raising capacity,’ said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Association. ‘It’d be a mistake to give him a green light on all of the proposals, but if it’s about adding a parking fee, that seems like something the city should do.’
Widmer added that he does not believe that an increase in restaurant and entertainment taxes will have a major impact on college students’ finances.
‘So people pay a little more for a meal…we’re not talking about large increases here,’ he said.
City Councilor Mike Ross (Back Bay, Fenway) said some sacrifices are necessary during the city’s budget crunch.
‘In the end,’ Ross said, ‘there comes a point where additional revenue is very important and we have to have some creative ideas, and some of the mayor’s proposals are creative.’
Ross said he has heard a few complaints from college students about an increase in ticket prices, but he is trying to focus on how the taxes will affect the city as a whole.
‘We all live in the city and we all have to realize that, to make the city into a better place, it does cost money,’ he said.
However, Hana Azman, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she believes any increase in the restaurant tax would have a noticeable impact on her weekend activities, which include sampling Boston’s many ethnic food venues.
‘Boston is already such an expensive place to live in,’ she said. ‘It is known as a college city, and Menino proposes increasing taxes on things that students usually do on the weekends, the stuff we look forward to doing.’
But it’s not the outside meals that Christine Cardona, a sophomore in the College of Communication, is concerned about.
‘A one percentage increase in the city’s restaurant tax isn’t much, but the movies seem ridiculous to place a surcharge on,’ she said. ‘Tickets are already expensive as it is, so why should the city be getting any more of our money from these?’
Cardona said that charging more for concert tickets seems reasonable because concerts occur infrequently, but she doesn’t believe Menino should target activities that college students regularly attend.
Like Brian Lim, a sophomore in the College of Communication, students are beginning to realize that the city needs a new source of revenue to close the budget gap. Lim said he doesn’t mind pitching in if it would benefit the city.
‘I’m not saying it’s going to be easy to pay that extra money for movie tickets and eating out, but if it’s really helping the city, then I’m glad to be of service,’ she said.
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