TALLAHASSEE – On Wednesday, July 12, at the City of Tallahassee budget workshop, the City Commission voted unanimously to repeal the City’s long standing business license tax. The repeal will require an ordinance change from the Commission, but Commissioners indicated their desire to pass such an ordinance as soon as possible with a 5-0 unanimous vote in support of repealing the tax. The repeal will take full effect during the 2017-18 fiscal year. This action, paired with the County Commission repealing the County business tax in recent years, makes the Tallahassee/Leon County community the first in the state to have repealed all business license taxes.
The repeal of the City business license tax was initiated by a request from the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. That proposal was developed, vetted and promoted by the Chamber’s Business Advocacy Committee and endorsed by the Chamber’s Board of Directors. Ed Murray, Chair of the Business Advocacy Committee responded to the news by saying, “Our community is open for business and ready for growth. The only barriers on our potential for economic growth in Tallahassee are the limits we place on ourselves. It is a great thing to see our elected leaders take a bold step to lower the costs of business in Tallahassee. Repealing the business license tax enhances our business strong story.
The repeal of the business license tax will put money back in the hands of each of the 12,000 approximate businesses that operate in the City of Tallahassee. The repeal will result in a $2 million tax break for the Tallahassee business community. Chamber President and CEO Sue Dick added, “In business, every dollar counts. The savings provided to the business community by repealing the business license tax will help support business growth, employee investments and even community giving. We believe that letting our businesses keep as much of their hard earned money as possible is good for economic growth.”
The Chamber’s Business Advocacy Committee is on a mission to monitor public policy, collaborate with local partners and impact outcomes that benefit Chamber members and stakeholders. The Business Advocacy Committee is a standing committee of the Board of Directors. In addition to the proposal to repeal the business license tax, the Business Advocacy Committee is currently working on issues such as improving impact fee policies, enhancing the permitting process and building opportunities for local companies to engage with the State of Florida.
For Further Information Contact:
Jay Revell
Vice President, Advocacy & Existing Industry
Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce
(850) 521-3114 (office)
(850) 567-9419 (cell)
jrevell@talchamber.com
