BRATTLEBORO, Vt. (AP) - Town representatives in Brattleboro, Vt., have approved a $14 million renovation plan for their police and fire stations, but have rejected a sales tax that could have helped pay for them.
An extra 1% would have been added to a 6% sales tax for retail goods. It was voted down at a special town meeting Saturday.
The Brattleboro Reformer reports only a handful of the representatives supported the tax.
Sam's Outdoors Outfitters co-owner Stanley "Pal" Borofsky said the state's sales tax has crept up from 3% in 1984 to 6% today. He said boat sales in his Keene, N.H., and Hadley, Mass., stores far outpace those in Brattleboro.
He also said the 1% add would make it harder for locally owned stores to survive.
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