Putting a crimp on summer fun Plan that vacation but don't forget to pack for the Nanny State

from NewsLink, Vol. 7, No. 3, Spring 2003 Vacations are supposed to be fun, but planning them clearly is not. First you need to find the time, namely the one week of the year that Junior isn’t pitching for the town team, little Sally isn’t away at band camp, and you and your spouse can actually get a week away from work. Then you need to decide what place on the planet you’d like to visit, a list that’s a lot shorter this year than it used to be. The idea of flying to Disney is scary because of terrorist threats. Indeed, flying anywhere is scary, as well as inconvenient and expensive, considering the security checks and fees and the elimination of flights. Europe is out of the question, anyway. The dollar is weak and France and Germany are unfashionable as destinations for U.S. tourists. And you can’t go to Asia (SARS). So considering this grim state of affairs, the chances are that you will have your fun in the sun somewhere nearby. A recent Travel Industry of America study found that 82 percent of Americans plan to take at least one trip this spring or summer, and a whopping 71 percent say they aren’t interested in traveling overseas, mainly due to the economy and war.1 On the other hand, 74 percent of Americans are expected to take a road trip this summer. And taking to the road doesn’t guarantee a good time. According to a recent national survey, 84 percent of Americans report feeling some level of stress during summer driving vacations.2 So perhaps the best solution is to get in the family car and go to someplace nearby. This year Cape Cod is looking better than ever for residents of Massachusetts and nearby states. Annually, Cape Cod & The Islands host 4.7 million person trips, representing 19% of domestic travel to Massachusetts.3 It just may be worth fighting the Battle of the Bulge on the Bourne Bridge and road rage on Route 3. What’s a couple more penny pinchers to add to the traffic! But before you start packing and asking your neighbors to take in your mail, sit tight. You have a bit more planning to do, even now that you’ve decided to stay close to home. There is the sticky issue of money. Cape Cod is nice but it isn’t free. So, like most sophisticates you pull out your PDA and run the numbers. You run down your list of expenses for the week: food, lodging, gas, gifts, bike rentals, whale watching etc. However, the moment you think you have costs within your budget you do a double take. You soon discover that you need to reserve a place for one big expense: government. That’s because everywhere you turn, there’s a tax or law to put a little crimp on the family fun. Let’s start with accommodations. The hotel will run you $1,552.00 for two rooms for 7 nights in lovely Hyannis.4 Of that amount, 9.7% or $150.54 is state and local room occupancy tax. Already these levies are enough to make camping attractive. But who wants to rough it? So you carry on with the arithmetic and expand your itinerary to include all the fun things associated with a family summer vacation. Did you budget for the meals tax, sales tax, cigarette tax, alcohol tax, gas tax, parking fees, and gratuity? Probably not. Our research shows that you and your family will have to budget for an extra $212.72 in taxes to your bottom line of expenses. By our measure, a typical Cape Cod vacation this year will now cost your family about $ $3,553.09 of which $2,981.09 is subject to some sort of tax. And these are just the taxes that are visible to the consumer at the time of purchase, never mind the taxes that are passed on to your family via merchants and other business’ who need their tax bills paid. But it’s not only taxes. Did you pack the luggage for Big Brother? Rules and regulations might put another wrinkle on your plans. You’d love to take your nanny on a vacation but instead you wind up taking the Nanny State! Get ready to scratch off a few activities from your “fun things to do” list. Starting with keeping the roller blades and skateboards at home for this trip. According to Article XXXV of the Town of Barnstable’s ordinances, which govern Hyannis, “No person shall roller skate or skate board on public sidewalks in congested areas of Town. No person shall roller skate or skate board in public ways in congested areas of Town.” Maybe dear old dad will just have a few beers while presiding over the family’s enjoyment of the soft sand and clear water, then again maybe not. In Article XVI “no persons shall drink any alcoholic beverage as defined in Section 1 of Chapter One Hundred Thirty-eight of the General Laws or possess an open container of the same, whether full or partly full, while on, in or upon any public way or way or other place to which the public has a right of access as invitees or licensees.” Oh well, somehow he will still enjoy his vacation. Perhaps Dad will just listen to the Red Sox on his radio, while the kiddies play in the surf and the Mrs. finishes her new novel. But I hope he packed a tape measure and earphones. Article XXI clearly states that it is unlawful “to cause or suffer to allow any unnecessary, loud, excessive or unusual noises in the operation of any radio, or the making of loud outcries, exclamations or other loud or boisterous noises or loud and boisterous singing by any person or group of person or in the use of any device to amplify the aforesaid noise, where the noise is plainly audible at a distance of one hundred fifty (150) feet in which it is produced.” Ok, so when the game comes on, Dad will make sure the volume is low. And he won’t swear if Nomar strikes out, since Article XXIV says that “no person shall, in any street or other public place, accost or address another person with profane or obscene language.” Even moving beach chairs is a hassle. When the family is packing up the beach gear, make sure you are in compliance with Article XXV. This says “no person shall saunter or loiter in a street in such a manner as to obstruct travelers.” We wouldn’t want that fine added onto the family budget, would we? And what about Sparky? Bringing man’s best friend on this family outing carries with it more rules and regulations than the IRS tax code. A leash ordinance, Article XXXIV, is common enough but 4 violations of this ordinance and Sparky can be banished from the Town! While he is on the leash, however, make sure the family dog keeps his jaw shut or buy him a muzzle. You do not want to be cited under Article XLV: “Anyone responsible for a dog shall not allow or permit said dog to annoy another person or person’s reasonable right to peace or privacy by making loud or continuous noise.” Maybe adding annoying kids to this ordinance should be brought up at the next Town Meeting. Then again maybe peace and quiet is what the Town’s nobles want, and dogs don't get to vote. One thing you also won’t be hearing is the screeching of fireworks, unless of course the Town runs a display on the 4th of July. Massachusetts is one of only 9 states that have banned all consumer fireworks, even the s---parkler.5 The common man---- is just too feeble minded to take on this endeavor. Are birthday candles still ok? If you decide to break some town or state laws then you can add the resulting fines to the plethora of charges to your already growing travel budget. Your kids can even help by starting to count their penny collections. Even if you manage to stay out of trouble you still can not get away from the inescapable item of taxes. There is a whopping amount of money taken up by hotel, sales, use and meals taxes that your family is going to have to fork over. Enough for a few six packs of beer and almost endless video rentals of National Lampoon’s Vacation with Chevy Chase. At least the Griswolds didn’t have to take Big Brother along to Wally World! Christopher Boyd is a writer for NewsLink and a graduate student in the Masters of Public Administration program at Suffolk University. 1 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,86583,00.html. 2 http://www.iamnext.com/travel/roadtrip2.html. 3 http://www.mass-vacation.com/html/industry_news/research/regionalprof.pdf. 4 Days Inn, Hyannis. 5 http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/012.html.

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