Dear Everyone;
There they go again. Oakland is proposing to institute a take-out food tax on all take out businesses - fast food and restaurants to pay for a litter clean up program. Afterall, it's the restaurants who provide take out food who are at fault for the litter for serving take out food and not following the customers around with a basket in hand for the discards.
The proposed ordinance would affect about 450 Oakland establishments, including about 60 fast-food chains, 90 liquor stores and 300 other businesses that sell food and beverages in disposable packaging, Brunner said.
Businesses would be required to pay fees ranging from $230 to $3,800 based on their income. Brunner estimates that more than three-quarters of the affected businesses would only pay the minimum fee, which amounts to 63 cents a day.
The larger fast-food chains would pay higher fees, but restaurants that are part of business improvement districts that volunteer to clean up their neighborhoods would be eligible for fee reductions or exemptions.
The city would use the projected $237,000 a year to hire small crews to pick up litter in commercial areas around high schools and middle schools where most of the garbage is found.
Watch out if San Francisco hears about it they'll be next.
Ron Getty
SF Libertarian
http://www.newsday.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-fast-food-tax,0,594896.story