Brown
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WILKES-BARRE — Mayor George Brown on Tuesday extended the payment deadline for the city’s mercantile tax by one month, to May 15.
In issuing the extension, the mayor said he recognizes the hardships that Wilkes-Barre businesses have faced over the past few weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said that he hopes the additional time will soften the adverse economic conditions they are facing.
To mitigate the spread of the virus Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all non-essential businesses to close and imposed a stay-at-home order across the state. Those businesses deemed essential had restrictions placed on them, however. Bars and restaurants could no longer provide sit-down service to customers and instead could only offer drive-through and take-out services.
The economic impact of the pandemic on the city from reduced revenue would become more clear in the second quarter, Brown said.
In his 2020 general fund budget, Brown included $1,350,000 in revenue from the mercantile tax usually due on April 15. It applies to licensed retail and wholesale businesses. Retailers must pay 3 mills or $3 for every $1,000 of gross volume of business annually, according to the City Charter. Wholesalers pay 2 mills or $2 for every $1,000 in gross volume business.
— Jerry Lynott
