Baltimore Retailers Want To Repeal Bottle Tax
BALTIMORE (WJZ) Two cents may not sound like much, but some Baltimore retailers say it's adding up to job cuts. Two cents is the city's new tax on bottled beverages.
Alex Demetrick reports retailers want it repealed.
Baltimore's bottle tax goes first to distributors, who pass it along to retailers. Two cents per bottle on soft drinks and water. Twelve cents a six pack. What happens next is up to the store.
"I had two choices to either increase retails or absorb it," said the owner of Santoni's Supermarket.
"We try to hold prices wherever we can, but there are times when we can't," said the hiring manager at Bel-Garden Bi-Rite Supermarket.
So, retailers are pushing for repeal. From a few billboards scattered around town to news conferences in the beverage aisle of Santoni's Supermarket, the message is the same: Eat the tax or pass it on. Either way, jobs are being cut.
"When people leave, or quit or unfortunately get fired, they're not being replaced," said Rob Santoni, of Santoni's Supermarket.
"I've had to lay off some people," said Sandy Vary, of Bel-Garden Bi-Rite Supermarket. "I just can't support it anymore. You can't pretend you're doing the business that you did before."
Even though retailers are trying to bring public pressure to repeal the tax, City Hall has its own message.
Through the bottle tax," we're able to keep police officers on the street, and keep our fire stations open, as well as keep funding our schools," said Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.
"Property taxes, personal property taxes and other fees from my store equal almost $100,000 a year," Santoni said. "I think that's my fair share as a business."
And city retailers say passing the tax on to customers, brings a drop in revenue.
"If you can't get the very best deals for your costumer, they're not going to come to you," Vary said. "The difference between making it and not making it is very, very thin."
Baltimore's mayor says the city can see $5 million generated by the bottle tax.
