No, this does not target individual businesses; it targets properties with 6 or fewer units, where at least one unit is commercial. The $500 applies to the property, not the individual units. Here is the link to the Streets Department site: http://www.phila.gov/streets/smallcommericalest.html.
As Al states, the City is hearing from a number of business and building owners about this. Without defending or criticizing the policy, I will point out that the fee amount is apparently consistent with fees in a number of other cities, but that those cities did not necessarily go immediately from $0 to their current levels. I don't know whether other cities have sliding scales based on trash volume. Andy > Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2009 18:43:36 -0400 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [UC] Businesses in UC are struggling > > This would equally hit people who operate any small business, even as a > part-timer, out of their homes -- assuming they have registered for the > Business Privilege Tax and are paying their Gross Receipts Tax. > > I understand the rationale behind this proposed new revenue tool. But > another strategy for soaking more revenue out of city businesses could > be to tickle more people out of the "gray market" with enticements to go > legal. > > Smacking such small-business people at once with a mandatory $500 fee > for trash most of them don't even generate, probably isn't the right way > to crack open this particular barrel of businesses. > > -- Tony West > > > > > The latest such fee is a $500 charge the city wants to put on all > > small buildings with commercial occupancies for trash pickup. People > > who generate large volumes of waste -- restaurants and the like -- > > already have to have private trash pickup. This will hit people like > > barbers, accountants, dentists, realtors, property managers, > > consultants, plumbers, electricians, small retailers, and so forth. > > The people who want to assess these fees say things like "It's only > > $500 per year, under $10 per week. It won't hurt anybody." Sorry to > > break the news, but it will hurt. Do you think someone who rents a > > storefront wants his or her rent raised by $40 per month to cover this > > fee when the property owner passes it along? That's a 5% or 10% > > increase for many people. > > > > What's worse, it's a one-size-fits-all approach proposed by the > > Streets Dept which obviously pulled the number out of a hat and didn't > > give it a second thought. A barber who generates -- what -- two > > Acme-sized bags of hair clippings a week is going to pay the same as a > > variety store owner who generates two or three barrel-sized bags a > > week? It makes no sense. > > > > Al Krigman > > > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see > <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. _________________________________________________________________ Insert movie times and more without leaving Hotmail®. http://windowslive.com/Tutorial/Hotmail/QuickAdd?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_HM_Tutorial_QuickAdd_062009
