Santa Monica Council approves business tax ballot measure, rejects parking and pulls pay rise

Members of council gave us a mixed bag of results for the proposed ballot measure items in the last City Council meeting. First up was the business license tax discussion. Stephanie Manglaras, Assistant City Treasurer gave a presentation along with Finance Department Director Oscar Santiago.

“Santa Monica’s business license tax has not been revised since 1990. Passing this measure would update the tax and make it more equitable. For example, it would exempt small businesses and cut rates for medium-sized businesses including restaurants and many retail stores,” said Manglaras.

“It would also close loopholes that have allowed some large corporations to avoid paying an appropriate share of the tax. In addition, it would modernize the tax code to account for businesses that did not exist in 1990, such as online businesses,” she added.

Ultimately, every member of council was in agreement and Vice Mayor Lana Negrete offered her unique perspective as a small business owner stressing that the City needed to continue to help small businesses.



https://smdp.com/2024/07/08/council-approves-business-tax-ballot-measure-item-rejects-parking-and-pulls-pay-increase/