Smith proposes tax break

Hey, convenience store owners deserve a tax break, too.

That's the sentiment of Gaffney City Councilman Bernard Smith who has proposed to slice in half the business license fees the city charges owners of stores that sell gasoline and alcoholic beverages.

Those store owners currently pay $30 on the first $5,000 of their gross receipts, plus another $3 per $1,000 in gross receipts.

Smith has proposed to reduce to $1.50 from $3 per $1,000 in gross receipts.

Smith said his proposal would bring the city's business license fee more in line with comparable-sized cities.

"We need to do what other cities are doing," the councilman said.

Smith added that convenience store owners have seen a sharp rise in their business iicense fees with the soaring price of gasoline.

Smith's proposal would cost the city as much as $100,000 in revenue, Gaffney Administrator James Taylor said.

Smith's proposal has been forwarded to the finance committee.

If approved, Smith said he wants to delay the change until fiscal year 2009.