Letters to the Editor

Logan Scott
Breckenridge
June 27, 2006

Several friends have asked: "Why should we pay sales tax on lift tickets? I don't want to pay a $14 sales tax on my season pass. Don't we pay enough already?" Perhaps a better question would be: "How might we use the revenue?"

Summit County has a highly regressive tax structure in the form of its sales tax on food for home consumption, i.e. the tax we pay on groceries at the supermarket. In most states, such a tax is in fact illegal. According to the USDA, a budget minded family of four averages $153/week on groceries or $7,966/year. Our 5 percent groceries sales tax adds about $400 to that cost. For someone earning $10/hour, that is about one week's wages. Clearly, the sales tax on food places a disproportionate burden on the working poor who are the foundation of our tourist industry.

Imposing a 4 percent sales tax on lift tickets would provide a revenue stream that could be used to reduce or eliminate groceries tax while maintaining a neutral position on overall sales tax collections. A 4 percent sales tax on lift tickets would help shift the burden from those who can least afford it to those who can and help make Summit County a more family friendly place to live.

Other possible uses? How about funding affordable housing initiatives specifically earmarked for police, school teachers, firemen, and other persons vital to our community. Affordable daycare continues to be a major concern, especially with the impending loss of Kinderhut triggered by VRI actions. Do we really want to continue providing VRI with a free ride on sales taxes and 6.7 million dollar subsidies to build gondolas? I think not. It is time for a lift ticket tax.

http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20060627/LETTER/106270043&SearchID=73249722340253