The Spokane City Council is considering a full and permanent repeal of a $25 license fee collected on all “amusement devices” in the Eastern Washington city. According to the Spokesman-Review, the decades-old fee is a “relic of a bygone era imposed on businesses that offer patrons entertainment from pinball to pool tables.”
The state had recently waived liquor license fees, so System Amusements owner Bob Carroll asked the Spokane City Council in March to do the same with amusements. “I don’t mind paying, but let’s let business build back up,” he said. “We’re still maybe at 55% of normal revenue.”
Lon McRae, co-owner of Berserk Bar, which has eight pinball machines in its location, added, “Anything that lowers our expenses is a benefit to the business.”