City Council Passes Increases In Fees For Local Businesses
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia city council, Thursday, raised fees for dozens of kinds of licenses and permits needed to do business in the city, and only one council member voted against the fee hikes.
The increases cover licenses to operate food establishments, parking lots, amusements, news honor boxes; permits for construction, demolition and renovations; and fees for code inspections, among other things.
Sponsor Maria Quinones Sanchez says the city worked with the private sector on the new fee structures.
"They thought that we were leaving some potential fee income on the table that we had not adjusted, many of them going back to 2007," said Quinones.
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She says the new revenue will go to increasing staff in the department of licenses and inspections to provide better service and improve safety.
But councilman David Oh voted "nay" on all three bills laying out the new fees.
"Small businesses have been hit very hard in this city from the increase in real estate taxes, cigarette tax, soda tax, this is one more thing and I think it's important that the city find other places to raise money," said Oh.
The mayor is expected to sign the bills.