Ocala drops business tax receipts, saving owners time and money

Businesses operating inside Ocala city limits no longer need to pay for a license to operate. City officials have eliminated the business tax receipt (BTR) program, citing declining revenue and rising administrative costs.The move affects more than 6,500 businesses currently enrolled in the program.Christopher J. Beers, founder of Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop — which has a location in downtown Ocala and 23 retail locations total — said the change is less about the money and more about reducing the burden on small business owners.“The city has recognized that maybe it’s just one more thing that they don’t need to pass on to the small business owners,” Beers said.Beers paid $75 annually for his receipt. He said the dollar amount was never the issue.“I think the visibility now, the message from the city is that it’s one less piece of the complexity of opening up a business,” he said.Why the city pulled the plugCity staff says the program’s finances simply stopped making sense. Even as Ocala c