Pembroke Park votes to eliminate business tax receipts to ease licensing burden

Town Manager Dave Lynch said the Town of Pembroke Park is eliminating business tax receipts, a municipal licensing and fee mechanism officials said created administrative hassle and financial burden for many small businesses. "The small town that means big business," Lynch said, describing the town's decision and the commission's unanimous vote last week to eliminate BTRs.

Why it matters: Town officials said removing the receipts will reduce paperwork and penalties that they argued discouraged business activity in the town, which officials said is under 2 square miles and hosts hundreds of businesses. Mayor Jeff Jacobs said cutting the BTR requirement is "just cutting out a portion of that red tape to make it a little easier," and that long waits to get licenses can keep new businesses from making money while they pay rent and overhead.

Officials and business owners gave examples of the BTR program's impact. Lynch said the town collected…