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Brentwood Press - OakleyPress_07.18.08 - Index

JULY 18, 2008 COMMUNITY THEPRESS.NET | 25A
Business from page 1A
larger businesses harder. Businesses
making up to $1,000 in sales in a year
would not pay any tax. Those making
from $1,001 to $25,000 would pay $25.
The tax would be $125 for businesses
making between $25,001 and $1 million.
Businesses making more than that
would pay $125 plus 22 cents for every
$1,000 earned over $1 million.
Perhaps hardest hit would be landlords,
who currently pay nothing, but
under the new tax would pay $200 per
unit annually for properties with up to
four units on a parcel.
Landlords owning apartment complexes
with more than four units would
pay $250 for the fi rst four units and $50
for each unit over that. So the tax on a
four-unit complex would be $800, but
the tax on a fi ve-unit complex would
only be $300.
Understandably, the apartment tax
didn’t sit well with Theresa Carr, regional
division director for the California
Apartment Association, who said it
will actually hurt renters when the tax is
passed on to them.
“It just doesn’t make a whole lot of
sense to me. It appears to me this is very
onerous to the small owner,” Carr told
the City Council. “You don’t have a lot
of large apartment complexes, but you
have single rentals. All of this stuff falls
down to the tenant in the end, and adds
another expense to gas, groceries and everything
else. What we would like is to
make this a little more equitable.”
The council members did not make
any changes to the proposed apartment
tax, however. “The issue of landlords
fi nally paying a tax has been discussed
previously by the council and was one
impetus to exploring a new (business)
tax structure,” Abelson’s report states.
Councilman Brad Nix is concerned
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Seen in the Dead Sea
that the new tax will make the city less
competitive in its attempts to attract
large businesses. He prefers charging 20
cents for each $1,000 earned over $1 million
instead of 22 cents per extra $1,000.
“I look at the numbers, and it would
appear we are above everybody else (in
East County),” said Nix. “I don’t want
to be (charging that much) when we
don’t have established businesses. I have
a concern on Costco or something saying,
‘We’ll go next door.’ It’s something
a business might take a look at. It starts
to mount up.
“The primary purpose (of the business
tax revision) was to make sure we
capture the expense of the rentals that
are costing so much. I don’t want to do
things which are detrimental to bringing
large businesses in.”
Oakley has had trouble getting large
retailers to locate in the city. In the past
few months, Wal-Mart and Home Depot
have withdrawn their applications
to open stores, and Safeway allowed its
permits for a new store and surrounding
retail to expire.
Abelson responded that the twocent
difference in the tax would total to
only an extra $75 for a business making
$2.5 million. “For a business generating
tens of millions, the hundreds of dollars
(in extra tax) probably would not be bold
on their radar screen,” he said.
None of the other council members
shared Nix’s concerns, and praised the
revamped business tax structure.
“It’s such a small dollar amount”
extra for large businesses, said Councilwoman
Carol Rios. “Seventy-fi ve dol-
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Oakley
resident
Sher
Widger was
recently Seen
with the Press
around Israel,
including Tel Aviv,
Nazareth, Cana,
Tiberias, Mount
of Beatitudes
and the Sea of
Galilee. We’re
happy to report
that Sher and
her Hometown
Weekly
Newspaper,
above, were alive
and kicking while
fl oating in the
Dead Sea.
lars – if it’s going to make or break you
if you make $2 million, you have a bad
CEO. It’s time to get realistic. When we
incorporated, we incorporated with the
motto that we would not ask for taxes
– no new taxes. This is signifi cant for me
to go to the voters and say we are there;
it’s time for us to be competitive.”
Councilwoman Pat Anderson
agreed, saying, “It shows that we are supporting
small business. It brings us into
alignment much better with what’s happening
in East Contra Costa County.”
Ballot arguments of no more than
300 words for or against the tax may be
submitted to the city clerk by July 22.
Arguments will be considered for inclusion
on the ballot pamphlet.
To comment on this story, visit www.
thepress.net.
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