Charlemont seeks OK for 3% recreation tax

Charlemont is poised to become the first municipality in Massachusetts to levy a recreation tax, pending legislative approval of a home-rule petition.

The proposal to levy a 3 percent tax was approved unanimously at the spring Town Meeting. Three companies that do business in town – Zoar Outdoor, Berkshire East and Crab Apple Rafting – backed the tax, which “made a huge difference to the community,” Selectmen Toby Gould said. The companies have written letters of support that will be submitted to state legislators.

Charlemont, with a population of 1,300, is located along the Deerfield River and the Mohawk Trail and is home to a number of recreational businesses. They include Berkshire East Ski Resort, which hosts mountain activities year-round, including skiing, zip lining, a bike park and mountain coaster, Zoar Outdoor, Crab Apple Rafting, and a number of rafting, fly fishing, biking and tubing companies. The industry is such a draw to the community that a new restaurant has opened and there is potential for more growth.

Recreation facilities were needing more and more emergency services during the day, so the town, with help from Rep. Paul Mark of Dalton, began to research ways to come up with additional revenue to help cover the expenses, including looking at community-based recreational taxes in Vermont and Utah.

The tax would have more of an impact on those who visit the town to use recreational services rather than the residents, Gould said. The tax would apply to activities such as seasonal passes, ski lift passes, rafting trips and canopy tours. The revenue would go toward providing a number of services in town, not exclusively limited to those that service the industry, Gould said.

“This is a major opportunity for Charlemont to have this extra income,” Gould said, noting that the 3 percent rate was set after meetings with the outdoor recreation companies and local legislators.

The recreation tax would be collected the same way as the sales tax. The Department of Revenue would forward the money to the town on a quarterly basis.