We are thrilled to report that the campaign and its central issue have received a considerable amount of press coverage in recent months. Yesterday’s editorial in the Roanoke Times, for example, supports collecting Blacksburg taxes on meals and lodging at Virginia Tech:
Blacksburg for years has wanted Virginia Tech to collect the town meals and lodging taxes on campus. University officials have stridently refused, usually unwilling even to discuss it. Now, however, a few campus food sellers have started collecting the meals tax, making this an ideal time for the school do the right thing.
To be clear up front, the town does not want to tax meals plans. Students who eat in cafeterias or burn through their dollars at other campus dining options would not pay it.
Rather, the town wants the school to collect the 6 percent meals tax and 7 percent lodging tax only on purchases made by private citizens.
In addition, the editorial links the meals and lodging tax disparity to an issue of fairness — a central tenet of the Play Fair Tech campaign:
As long as Tech holds out, it adds a little bit to the sense that it is separate from the town, not a full partner with the people who live here year round. With this small effort, it could more fully invest in the community. It could say, “Yes, we are all part of the same team.”
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