Braveheart Highland Pub is located at 430 Main Street in Hellertown. Owner Andy Lee said Thursday that a PLCB decision to waive some of the 2021 liquor license fees he and other bar owners would otherwise have to pay will help. (FILE PHOTO)
Certain Pennsylvania businesses with liquor licenses will receive financial relief in 2021 after the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) voted this week to waive some of next year’s fees.
Gov. Tom Wolf had suggested a similar relief effort last week, and the PLCB quickly pursued action, voting 2-1 in favor of license forgiveness totaling an estimated $27.7 million.
“Following the Governor’s request to waive license fees and provide some relief to struggling businesses, the PLCB did its due diligence in evaluating our authority to waive fees authorized by various state laws, as well as the fiscal impact of doing so,” the PLCB announced in an Oct. 28 press release.
The PLCB is hoping the fee forgiveness will help some of the businesses most affected by the pandemic–including holders of restaurant, retail dispenser, club, catering club and hotel licenses–weather a financial storm that shows no sign of ending anytime soon.
The decision waives a variety of retail license fees varying in cost from $30 to $700. Waived fees include a filing fee, license fee, renewal fee, validation fee, amusement permit fee, Sunday sales permit fee and extended hours food fee.
Safekeeping extension fees, which can range from $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the county, will also be waived in 2021. Licensees will, however, still be required to file validation and renewal applications to keep licenses current and avoid late fees.
Some license fees will continue to be collected in 2021, such as those associated with wine expanded permit applications and renewals, direct wine shipper licenses, fees for change of ownership and/or location of a license, application fees for new licenses and others. Additionally, manufacturers, beer distributors and transporters for hire will be required to pay license fees in 2021, because they are less impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.
In March of this year, the PLCB established waivers and fee deferrals that continue today to help businesses struggling to cope financially in the wake of the COVID outbreak. This week’s decision continues that effort.
“We believe it’s the right thing to do in support of our restaurants, bars and gathering places, so we’re glad next year to ease the financial burden to some extent for these local businesses,” said Board Chairman Tim Holden.
Steve DiDonato, a local wine distributor who has recently led efforts to gain support for House Bill 2513, which would ease state-imposed COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants, believes the PLCB’s decision doesn’t offer enough relief for restaurants bracing for a slow winter under the current state restaurant mandates.
“I know restaurants that are losing $2,000 a day, but they have to stay open to keep their employees, and they have to stay open because if you close you might not be able to reopen again,” DiDonato said. “So that $1,600 (in waived fees), if you want to put it into perspective, is nothing.”
Andy Lee, who owns Braveheart Highland Pub in Hellertown, is still hoping for some sort of relief effort similar to HB 2513 to help his business during the winter months. Lee, however, will accept any support he can take at this time.
“When I don’t have to write them (PLCB) a check for $1,650 it helps,” Lee said.