Last night the Chapel Hill Town Council voted to lower the amount of its recent increase in the town’s privilege license fee, which is imposed on businesses for the “privilege” of doing business in the area. The council had quietly approved the hike in June — a move that hit some businesses with a 10-fold increase in their tax, from $75 to $750 per year. Kudos to member businesses of the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce for organzing a vocal response to the outrageous tax increase. Problem is, if you read the stories in today’s Raleigh News & Observer and Chapel Hill Herald, you’d think Chapel Hill businesses received a gift last night. You have to read to the fourth paragraph to figure out the net result is a tax increase. Yet, here are the headlines.
News & Observer:
Chapel Hill Adjusts Fee Hike
Plan moderates costs to businesses (note: online subhead is slightly different from print version)
Chapel Hill Herald:
Town Lowers Privilege License Fee
Decision means about $53,000 will be returned to businesses (note: subhead is in print version only)
