February 21, 2008
O'Brien: City Needs Single Tax Rate
By Christina Davis
It’s time for a single tax rate in the city of Worcester, according to City Manager Michael O’Brien, who spoke Wednesday night at an event for the grassroots Worcester Local First organization.
In his brief remarks to gathered local business owners at the Beechwood Hotel, O’Brien came out strongly in favor of creating a single tax rate for the city, saying it's the only way Worcester can be competitive in the global marketplace.
Currently, the city has a dual tax rate, one for residential home owners and one for business owners. The rate for businesses is more than double the rate for residential property owners.
However, O'Brien cautioned that the single tax rate could not be constructed "in a vacuum" and that it would have to be phased in and tied to "benchmarks" based on the city's economic performance.
Mayor Konstantina Lukes also spoke at the event, which served as a kick-off for Worcester Local First’s business directory.
Worcester Local First, which aims at encouraging people to buy from independently owned Worcester businesses rather than chain stories, hopes to put out a directory of at least 150 member businesses by June.
In his brief remarks to gathered local business owners at the Beechwood Hotel, O’Brien came out strongly in favor of creating a single tax rate for the city, saying it's the only way Worcester can be competitive in the global marketplace.
Currently, the city has a dual tax rate, one for residential home owners and one for business owners. The rate for businesses is more than double the rate for residential property owners.
However, O'Brien cautioned that the single tax rate could not be constructed "in a vacuum" and that it would have to be phased in and tied to "benchmarks" based on the city's economic performance.
Mayor Konstantina Lukes also spoke at the event, which served as a kick-off for Worcester Local First’s business directory.
Worcester Local First, which aims at encouraging people to buy from independently owned Worcester businesses rather than chain stories, hopes to put out a directory of at least 150 member businesses by June.
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