ANNAPOLIS Md. Restaurants and retail establishments in Maryland are facing licensing fees for their soda fountains under a revision of a more than 90-year-old state law.
According to the office of state comptroller Peter Franchot, restaurateurs would be charged between $25 and $60 annually for each location that operates a soft-drink dispenser.
The law, passed in 1916, originally addressed only those enterprises defined as soda fountain businesses, said Melvin Thompson, vice president of government affairs for the Restaurant Association of Maryland. Now, however, the comptroller’s office is revising the regulation to apply the licensing fee to restaurants, retail stores, theaters, sports complexes, convenience stores and food courts, among other businesses, he said.
“We think the latest interpretation is a bit of a stretch in an effort to burden businesses with additional fees,” Thompson said. “Moreover, local circuit court clerks, who issue the licenses, have not enforced the law in years because this license has been rendered obsolete by foodservice facility licenses issued by local health departments.”
Thompson said the association would try to get the legislation repealed, though the current legislative session ends April 13.
According to an Associated Press report, the soda fountain fees could end up costing Maryland restaurateurs about $1.5 million a year. Those additional fees would help bolster the state’s budget, which is facing a shortfall of $1.7 billion for the rest of 2009 and through 2010.
Contact Elissa Elan at [email protected].