Council loves bloggers

City Councilman-at-large Bill Green introduced legislation earlier today that would eliminate the need for those practicing hobbies and pursuing not-for-profit activities to file for a Business Privilege License.

As a result, these individuals would not have to pay the business privilege tax on incidental income.

 

Billed this summer as the “blogger tax” when local bloggers received notices for back-taxes relating to marginal income from sources like Google Ads, City Hall quickly tried to quell the confusion surrounding the tax’s origination.

As of now, all individuals who could potentially earn money, however insignificant, from their pursuits, need to file for a Business Privilege License ($300 for a lifetime), and subsequently file taxes on that income.

Green’s bill includes the following provisos:

“Hobbies or other not-for-profit activity, as such activity is defined under federal law, is not a “business” subject to the Business Privilege Tax; andPeople exclusively engaged in hobbies or other not-for-profit activities are not required to obtain and maintain a Business Privilege License (which costs $50 per year or $300 for a lifetime license).“

Co-sponsoring the legislation are: council members Blondell Reynolds Brown, Bill Greenlee, Wilson Goode Jr., Jack Kelly, Frank Rizzo, Anna Verna, Jannie Blackwell, Curtis Jones, Darrell Clarke, Joan Krajewski, Maria Quinones Sanchez, Donna Reed Miller, Marian B. Tasco and Brian O’Neill.

 

Sophie Bryan, chief of staff for Green, noted that Councilman Bill Kenny was out today, and Councilman Frank DiCicco opted not to co-sponsor the bill.