'Driveway Tax' Derided

The Kansas chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses said last week it was "shocked and disappointed" at a city's imposition of a transportation utility fee on property owners based on how much traffic the property generates.

The plan adopted by the Mission City Council is expected to generate $1.2 million a year. It is scheduled to go into effect in December and would help finance a proposed 10-year, $38 million street improvement program.

"This new 'driveway tax' will directly harm small businesses, the very people Kansas is looking to for help creating jobs and working to jump-start the economy," said Dan Murray, director of the NFIB.

The city said homeowners would pay $72 a year in fees, with small retail buildings housing several businesses paying up to $3,600 a year. Large retailers could see annual fees as high as $65,000 a year, officials said, with fast-food restaurants being levied up to $12,000 a year.

The fee would be levied on 5,650 properties in Mission, a Kansas City suburb, including tax-exempt churches, schools and government buildings.

Mission has approximately 9,700 residents.

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Transportation industry Kansas
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