By Monique Glenn

Mayor Neil R. Ellis is expected to propose to city council on April 14 a tax on drive-thru use. Under the proposed tax, every purchase made by drive-thru would have an additional five per cent tax, with the funds going to the city. This is a bad idea because it is out of sync with how people live, it is inconvenient for customers, and it is bad for business.
Ellis justifies this proposal as it is a "sin tax" because it is a "sin" to damage the environment by idling vehicles in line at a drive-thru.
The mayor says that people can avoid this tax; they have a choice. If they don't want to pay it, then they can go inside the restaurant. Moreover, he said, it is one way to get more revenue for the city without raising property taxes, as usual.
There are many problems with this proposed tax.
Having a tax on drive-thrus in Belleville is unrealistic in view of the way people live. There is a rush to life. Many people have places to be and things to do, that's why drive-thrus are so popular. Drive-thrus are a growing trend with the world. People have adapted to their cars. Also people have reasons for not wanting to go inside the restaurant. A mom with two kids in her arms, juggling change and carrying out food is not easy.
There are disabled, injured and sick people who use drive-thrus as an easier way to get food or other goods and services. Why should they be punished for something that is beyond their control?
Drive-thrus are convenient for everyone; they are open late when restaurants are closed. Many businesses offer, a late or 24-hour drive-thru as part of their ad campaigns. Wendy's "drive-thru open late" is advertised on billboards and on signs outside the restaurant. The same goes for other restaurants, such as McDonalds. The citizens of Belleville should not be taxed on getting fast food at a later hour when the restaurant itself is closed. Drive-thrus offer not only convenience for customers but also help the volume of business.
Drive-thru is a priority too many fast food restaurants and adding this complication will go against their priority. The new McDonalds on Front Street in Belleville gave up most of its parking lot to add a double drive-thru to their business
Drive-thrus keep the staff that are working late safe from unsavoury people that could be coming in late at night and also gives a chance for maintenance to clean the premises.
Adding this tax only to the drive-thru part of restaurant sales will complicate things for the business. They will need a new pricing system and perhaps new tills, their accountant will have to add a new category to the books. All the extra cost for the new technology and the extra work may force the restaurant to raise its prices. This could be a chain of events that could end with people just deciding to skip the fast food idea.
Are businesses going to stay in Belleville if this tax is implemented because it is a city tax not a provincial tax? Is going to complicate their businesses? Probably. No business is going to want to locate to Belleville with the tax and the stores that are currently here will not want to branch out.
Ellis is probably thinking that this tax is a good idea because it does play into the new and rising concern for the environment and having more people turn off their cars and go inside will be a good thing. Also this is new a way to generate money for the city that is in need of the funds. It may even promote healthier food choices.
It is logical that Ellis wants the council to examine its options for raising more money however creating another tax for the city's local residents is not the best solution.
City council has just completed the second budget of its four-year term. There taxes increasing anywhere from 3.38 per cent to 5.24 per cent depending on where you live in the city. Maybe the council should look at its own spending to find additional savings. Right now taxpayers in Belleville are paying enough taxes and fees for the city already.
The bottom line is that Ellis has failed to take into account that drive-thrus are how people live, that having this taxation is going to inconvenience the citizens of Belleville and that it may discourage business growth.
The mayor might also be advised to measure how much gasoline is used to start cars, compared to the amount spent idling, and compare that to the length of time an automobile idles while waiting for meal, before he jumps to the conclusion that his plan is actually helping the environment.