Should Westborough Have Local Sales Tax Option?

A local sales tax option would help Westborough and other cities and towns “make up for what we lose in education funding that is going to the other communities,” Town Manager Jim Malloy says.

Malloy suggested the idea when he and selectmen met last week with Westborough’s state legislators at Westborough Town Hall.

The town officials discussed several issues with state Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston), state Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough), state Rep. Matthew Beaton (R-Shrewsbury) and state Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton).

Malloy said that “when you reduce sales tax to the extent that it’s been reduced, you’re really shifting a lot of the cost of state government from people who live outside of the state totally onto residents.”

He asked the legislators to “keep that in mind” when they discuss sales tax and income tax.

Communities such as Westborough are “penalized for doing a good job in encouraging businesses,” Malloy said.

A local sales tax option  “would certainly help off-set some of the burden we have,” he said.

“It would be substantial in a community like Westborough, especially with all the car dealerships that seem to be popping up here. We have two more that are coming,” Malloy said.