Businesses operating within Ocala city limits no longer have to pay for a license to do so. City officials have scrapped the business tax receipt, known as the BTR, citing shrinking revenue and growing administrative costs.
The change applies to more than 6,500 businesses currently enrolled in the program. According to the city, its CentralSquare system lists 6,538 BTR accounts.
City staff say the program's finances stopped adding up. Even as Ocala kept growing, BTR revenue fell steadily over the past four years while staffing costs climbed. Revenue declined by roughly $83,000 over that period, and staffing costs rose by $5,000, squeezing the program from both directions.
Fees varied widely depending on the type of business. The lowest was $3.00 and the highest was $3,840.00, with the average coming in at approximately $91.94.
Christopher J. Beers, founder of Grandpa Joe's Candy Shop, which has a downtown Ocala location and 23 retail locations in total, said the change matters less for the money than for the burden it removes from small business owners. "The city has recognized that maybe it's just one more thing that they don't need to pass on to the small business owners," he said.
Beers paid $75 a year for his receipt and said the dollar amount was never the issue. Instead, he sees the decision as a message from the city. "I think the visibility now, the message from the city is that it's one less piece of the complexity of opening up a business," he said.
City staff say they are working to process refunds for businesses that already paid for the 2027 cycle. Those refunds are expected to be issued over the next 90 days.
Beers said he hopes the move points to a wider commitment to supporting Ocala's business community. "What excites me is that we really want to make it easy for businesses to operate in downtown Ocala," he said. "Downtown is still a very exciting place to be at."
