STRATEGIC PARTNERS
October 14, 2002
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A plan to tax owners of ATMs in Jacksonville has been tabled, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union.
After a delay by the City Council last week and three dissenting votes on the proposal at a council Finance Committee on Oct. 14, the Duval County Tax Collector's Office asked that the plan be withdrawn.
"I think the handwriting was on the wall," said Lynn Watson, the county's assistant tax collector.
The proposal would have added an $80 annual fee for companies who own ATMs that are not physically attached to banks. The plan would have brought in an estimated $50,000 annually, Watson said.
Seven other Florida counties tax ATMs. Watson said that Jacksonville currently collects about $1.5 million annually on other vending services, from candy and soda machines to pool tables and laundry machines.
Councilwoman Faye Rustin, one of the council members who voted against the measure at the Finance Committee meeting, said she thought the fee would be "gouging" small businesses.
