STRATEGIC PARTNERS
October 7, 2002
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville City Council on Oct. 8 is expected to vote to approve an $80 annual licensing fee for ATMs, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union.
According to Lynn Watson, chief assistant to the Duval County tax collector, the move could bring an estimated $50,000 to city coffers each year.
All ATMs that are not inside or physically attached to a bank would fall under the new tax structure, Watson said. "Since they are operating as a business, in our point of view, it would be unequitable not to tax them," Watson said.
Seven other Florida counties already tax ATM owners and five others are in the process of adding the fees, Watson said.
Nassau County, which began taxing ATM machines in 1992, charges $7.50 per machine and receives less than $200 a year from the tax, according to county Tax Collector Gwendolyn Miller. Greta Olsen, manager of occupational licenses for Orange County, said Orange County licensed 275 machines in 2001, generating just over $20,000.
Other Florida counties that tax ATMs include Broward and Lake counties.
