Monthly Archive for July, 2010

BLACKSBURG — July 21, 2010 — A group of Blacksburg citizens and business owners has launched a campaign to urge Virginia Tech to collect local meals taxes and occupancy taxes. The group has placed petitions in local businesses and is distributing bumper stickers bearing the slogan “Play Fair, Tech.” Restaurants in Blacksburg pay a 6 percent tax on all sales, and all hotels and motels charge a 7 percent lodging tax. But Virginia Tech does not collect either of these taxes at its restaurants, dining halls or at the Inn at Virginia Tech.

The Play Fair Tech campaign maintains that the effective tax-exemption gives establishments on campus an unfair advantage over businesses in town, and denies the Town deserved revenues. “Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg must work together to ensure that our community remains a great place to live with first-rate amenities and services,” said Michael Sutphin, a member of the group’s steering committee. “Although all of our community’s visitors benefit from town services, only those who eat or sleep off campus pay for them.”

The group has made it clear that they are not calling for the meals tax to be applied to student meal plans, but only to cash and credit card sales at campus dining halls.

A recent study conducted by the Town of Blacksburg suggests that the collection of these taxes on campus could yield an additional $200,000 annually for the town. But the group and its supporters emphasize that the amount is not as important as upholding the spirit of fair play. Mike Soriano, who owns Champs Sportsbar & Café, Awful Arthur’s, Wikiteria Market & Café, and Firehouse Pizza in Blacksburg, is also supporting the campaign. “It’s not the dollar amount that matters, but the principle of fair play that is essential for a united community,” said Soriano.

Virtually every other public college or university in Virginia collects the local meals tax on campus. And Virginia Tech collects the 5 percent sales tax on all cash and credit card food sales on campus.

The campaign’s immediate goal is to gather as many petition signatures as possible from Blacksburg residents, business owners, employees and students of Virginia Tech, and alumni. In the process, it hopes to inform the community of this issue and plan further action.