Budget Hawks Support Chamber’s Proposal to Eliminate Business Tax

Budget Hawks, one of the groups working to overturn the 13% property tax increase adopted by the CIty of Tallahassee last year, issued a press release urging city commissioners to grant a request from the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce to eliminate the city business tax.

Commercial real estate developer and founding Budget Hawk Russell Price said, “Eliminating approximately $2,000,000 in business fees would be a financial shot in the arm for businesses that are still struggling to recover from the national recession.”

Former chamber of commerce chairman and Budget Hawk Brent Pichard added, “We are elated that the chamber has joined the movement for tax relief. The chamber brings tremendous political influence to help convince local government to make Tallahassee a more pro-business city.”

This does not mean the Budget Hawks’ work is done.

“Budget Hawks will continue fighting for a repeal of last year’s 13.5% city property tax hike and for more transparency in the city budget debate. Cutting property taxes will benefit all taxpayers, including young families and the elderly on fixed income. A repeal of the business tax will be a good down payment in the effort to return tax dollars back to taxpayers’ pockets,” former mayor and Budget Hawk Penny Herman promised.

The Budget Hawks and two other groups, Citizens for Responsible Spending, and the Network of Entrepreneurs and Business Advocates held a budget workshop earlier this month and presented an alternative budget to the spending priorities proposed by the City of Tallahassee.

Our report on that workshop can be read here.

  2017 City Budget, Brent Pichard, budget hawks, business tax, Penny Herman, Russell Price