The state needs revenue and this is just a difference of $1 on a $50 meal! No big deal!

Nickel and dime taxation. Paper cuts until we die...

I assume they would tax your at-home meals next.

Missing Link Chaffee will protect the pensions, unions and taxpayer-funded positions...but will tax our meals. Link is The Decider.

Agree on the nickel and dime taxation...CUT SPENDING!!!

Has anyone in this administration thougt of lowering the cost of living and business in RI as a way to generate revenues?

Make RI a place that people and businesses WANT to migrate to. Expanding the tax base seems much more reasonable than increasing the tax burden.

We need to limit social programs and entitlements across the board. We also need to analyze each communities debt and management strategies using a top down approach to identify and phase out inefficiencies.

Of course having elected officials like Leo Fontaine and Lincoln Chaffee with no leadership and limited critical thinjing skills is an obstacle in itself...

Rhode Island government has become a nightmare to finance. Too many small towns in this state each with its own school system, police, public works dept, etc.. I say eliminate local city government and consolidate into county government. You'll save a bundle.

Chafee has always had a silver spoon in his mouth, he does not, and will not understand how working people live paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet to survive. Before he once again raises taxes on oridnary citizens who work for a living he needs to start cutting the social welfare programs in this state. If this happened, perhaps the real working people in this state would find it a bit easier to swollow, for yet another sneaky tax increase like the meal tax.

i live in massachusetts but do dine in rhode island with some frequency.....this will make me rethink some of those trips...nickel and dime taxes are ideologically offensive if nothing else..they can also be counterproductive as they will reduce business once they reach a certain level

State and Municipal Governments need to live within their means - just like TaxPaying families do. We in RI don't have a Revenue Problem, we have an irresponsible Spending Problem by our government officials.

This is another tax that will impact the middle class. Why not cut the Govenment's free cell phone program? I will not go out for dinner because it will be too expensive but someone is receiving a free cell phone ( with 250 minutes!) from our government? They need to cut spending. Please contact your legislators and tell them no on this tax! If they hear from enough of us, they listen.

It's not a tax you are being forced to pay. If you can't afford an extra 2% when dining out, stay home or just to Applebee's get the "2 for $20" and pay the extra 40 cents. Just remember to tip your server appropriately.

We need to fund education without a doubt. My concern is that the increased meal tax will result in lost restaurant and hotel business and therefore not bring in the amount hoped for.

The best way to handle education spending is to regionalize education by county. There is just no way to justify all of those city and town administrators and support staff.
The next thing to do is to take the administration of funding out of the hands of the superintendant. These people are not trained how to manage funds. Let them have a sya but not the final one.
Bill
Coventry

What do you people expect? Chaffee didn't come to power in a coup. Neither did anyone else up there. I keep hearing people whine about stuff like this and then elections come around and it's the same people or type of people who get re-elected. What do you think is going to happen in November??? Rhode Island will wake up and stop electing these idiots? Never going to happen. This is what the majority of voting Rhode Islanders want for some reason. They want this "free" service or that. The magic money fairy will come and pay for it all.

Agree that more working or willing to work people need to get out and vote and let's clean house!

Hey Todd, It's the principal of the idea that people are not happy about.
Spouting off about what other people can or should be able to afford is a pretty arrogant position to hold, aye?

I can stick a needle in my finger with little adverse effects, does that mean it's something that I should do, continuously?

Just another way to stick it to the working middle class. Stop funding all these social programs and if the recipients of these programs don't like it let em go somewhere else. There is so much abuse and waste and we just keep giving them more and more.

I think education has enough funding. Now the people spending the money need to learn how to budget it. The increase in meal tax will not help~~~it will hurt. People, like me, will just go to CT or MA and that will hurt the state even more. Learn how to budget like the average homeowner has to do or get out of office. And in November, lets try and elect people that have a clue.

Chaffee says he's committed to help fund schools. Ha why doesn't he dig into his own pockets and stay out of ours. He's not funding schools we are!

Every Rhode Islander should read the "meals and beverage tax section" in RI tax guidelines. You aren't just paying more at restaurants, you pay every time you get food or a drink in this state, whether at the local ice cream shop, food court, bowling alley snack shop, vending machines, cafeteria, bar, mobile cart, caterer, etc.. It's not just a dollar here and there, IT IS DAILY. And it definitely affects the small businesses in RI that are struggling to make ends meet. People are forced to watch every dime they spend, and this will make it tougher.

Killing an eocnomy (what's left of it) to keep schools going is bad policy. It's time to start managing the schools - take it away from the committees.

"Someday, I hope to be able to afford an iPhone...like the girl in front of me paying for her groceries with food stamps. "

I say we start off by only having 1 school superintendent per county.heck were a real small state and they can travel if needed..having 37 is beyond rediculous..

There is no leaders in state or towns it very sad.Chafe is a bust.Its a shame

Wow, the last 14-16 comments got off the subject of meal tax increase. On most issues that are "discussed' on the Woonsocket Patch the subject reverts to the educational system. (Somehow that last sentence doesn't sound grammatical correct.)