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Committee reviews B&O tax changes to exempt very small businesses, will forward to council
Summary
Staff told the Charles Town Ordinance Committee that proposed B&O ordinance language comes from state code and would exempt businesses with gross receipts under $2,500 annually; the committee supported forwarding the draft to the full council pending minor clarifications about filing requirements.
The Ordinance Committee reviewed proposed revisions to the local business and occupation (B&O) tax ordinance intended to align municipal language with state code and to exempt very small businesses.
Staff (speaker 2) said the draft language was “literally just pulled from the state code” and described an exemption for businesses whose gross income is less than $2,500 per year; staff clarified that the exemption is prospective and not a waiver of any filing requirement — the treasurer may still require submission of a return even if no tax is due. Committee members discussed that the exemption targets cottage-industry sellers and other microbusinesses, and emphasized that the change is meant to ease startup burdens while preserving the municipality’s ability to collect program fees if appropriate.
Members agreed there is value in forwarding the ordinance to the full council; staff agreed to circulate the exact ordinance language and any additional materials before the council meeting. No formal roll-call vote on the ordinance itself was recorded in the committee transcript.
