More Info On Fishers Smoking Ban
Monday, October 09, 2006
Last week the Fishers Town Council heard from the opponents and supporters for the proposed smoking ban that Scott Faultless and his Council wish to impose upon business owners in Fishers. Libertarians, concerned citizens and business owners showed up and voiced their opposition to the proposed ordinance and we can only hope that the Council will heed public sentiment over the voices of special interests.
Opposition to the proposed ban continues in other circles, as well. Kevin Hood, of atFishers points out a disturbing fact concerning the ban which was passed in Zionsville resulted in a 50% decrease in business at their American Legion. Other businesses, as we well know have also seen drops in their revenues since the imposition of that ban. The same is true across the board in Indiana where we have seen this plague of bans imposed on businesses which cater to smokers. Some small businesses have even closed their doors due to these revenue losses. The loss in tax revenue is also obvious to those who choose to see, too.
Do you want local Fishers businesses that you don't even visit to lose 50% of their patrons? If you're that selfish, hate smoking and don't care, let's think about the fifty percent of taxes that these businesses won't be paying to help your next check to the tax man.While the Fishers Town Council rewrote a portion of the ban to accord a modicum of leeway to some bars and restaurants, (as Mr. Hood is careful to point out in his article), they did not go far enough and abandon this proposal. They were within the powers granted them when they emplaced their ban on smoking on city property, but this draconian measure goes far beyond anything the voters in Fishers granted them when they were elected.
If this Republican assault on property rights is allowed to pass we can expect to see a reduction in revenues for businesses which allow smoking. This is an indisputable fact . Given that many businesses, such as restaurants already operate on small margins of profit, especially those which are true small businesses and not mega chains. Scott Faultless and his Council are preparing to show their true colours where this issue is concerned. Given Mr. Faultless' penchant for increasing taxes, (as we saw last year) we can fully expect him to lead the charge to impose his will upon the small business community of Fishers when they meet again on October 16th.
Mr. Faultless and his Council should pay heed to the words of folks such as Mr. Hood. They vote. They contribute. They also tend to run for office against people who do all the wrong things and the Fishers Town Council has an election year coming up very soon.
Technorati Tags:
Libertarian, Smoking Ban, Fishers, Indiana, Republican
Property Rights, Small Business, American Legion
posted by Michael Jarrell @ 4:39 PM,
