Local leaders rally against amusement fees for event venues (WIVB)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Local and state leaders are joining business owners to push back against the City of Buffalo’s amusement fees requiring entertainment venues to pay extra for events. The City announced a “pause” on this tax, but some say that’s not enough.

At RiverWorks Thursday, a ticketed concert was taking place. Without the city’s pause this week, RiverWorks would have had to pay an amusement fee of over $200, a big reason some local leaders and small business owners are calling for its complete removal.

“Find a suitable way to improve the City’s finances without sacrificing the vibrant cultural and economic landscape that makes Buffalo unique,” Assemblymember Jon Rivera said. “That’s what this is about.”

State Senator Sean Ryan claimed the city, in its effort to fill a $40 million budget hole, is trying to find an easy way out.

“The city needs to admit that trying to balance the budget on speculative revenue on the backs of small businesses is not a sustainable long-term plan,” he said.

Sources tell WIVB News 4 that in 2023, event fees made up less than .01% of the City budget, and since 2009, less than $27,000 a year was collected from the fee.

“This year’s budget remains unbalanced,” Rivera said. “Even with property tax hike, user fee increases and plans for property reassessment.”

Ryan questioned why small business owners should be responsible for filling in the gaps.

“These business owners didn’t create this problem,” he said. “Why should they be the ones to ask to clean up this mess?”

Business owners we spoke with said they already pay for liquor licenses, City fees and sales taxes, along with the increased costs of goods and insurance. They said this will hurt the City more than help it.

“Where is our money better off?” asked RiverWorks CEO Bill Casale. “Being reinvested into our facilities and investing into our communities, into our staff and our people? Or taxes that they want to summon us with that we are unaware of with no notice?”

Owners said there will also be a trickle-down effect if the fee isn’t removed.

“’It’s not going to cost you this, it’s not going to cost you that.’ It’s going to cost the patrons who come in,” Babeville operator Scot Fisher said. “The burden, not only the money, but the time that our staff would have to spend making sure we’re compliant.”

WIVB spoke with Dave Thurman — a musician of the Thurman Brothers Band, who has been playing full-time in Buffalo for 50 years. He said if the fees stay, his booking rates will have to go up.

“Who’s going to end up paying? The customer,” Thurman said. “We are talking about asking somebody to pay a $30 ticket instead of a $20 ticket. Well, that’s probably going to cut into the bar owners’ receipts at the end of the night too, because that person isn’t going to spend that much more.”

The process of reviewing the current fee structure is still ongoing. The City plans to work with the Common Council to eliminate or change the fee.

WIVB reached out to the city for an update but hasn’t heard back.