PHOENIX, AZ – Citizens for Free Enterprise released the following statement in response to the Tempe City Council proposing an invasive new business licensing plan:
“For the City of Tempe to spin this proposal as anything other than an unnecessary burden is an insult to the intelligence of its residents and the business owners who fuel the economy,” said Citizens for Free Enterprise spokesman Dan Coulson. “Ordinance O2025.18 is nothing more than the city’s latest attempt to shake down entrepreneurs for cash and give nosy bureaucrats more power to invade your privacy and disrupt your business.”
Tempe’s Ordinance O2025.18 would:
- Force youth-run and home businesses to comply with the same inspection requirements, potentially allowing city employees to conduct random, unannounced inspections of their residences.
- Require all businesses within the city to fill out onerous paperwork and pay a fee of $25 per location to the city government, which must be paid annually.
- Give city employees the power to conduct random, unannounced inspections of any business, which would be disruptive and unnecessary.