I thought that Liberals like high taxes... And Cinservatives were anti-tax??? What valuable government program will be gutted if this tax is repealed?

I've been to the Tractor a bunch of times, and I've never seen anyone dancing. Bopping in place isn't dancing.

Shades of the insanity of the old law, since repealed, that barred dancing in restaurants, which was idiotically applied to Yanni's Greek Restaurant on Greenwood, which the WSLCB shut down because the owner did a little Greek dancing for somebody's birthday.

These are the people who run our state, who are unalterably opposed to even the mildest pleasures and even the tamest happinesses.

im still pissed at dave meinert for helping the get the rckndy closed fuck that right wing douch. ill shit on d right in front of both of you c. bring it. dx10.

I don't think this is an "opposition to the tamest happinesses", but rather taxing a revenue generating environment. WA State is opposed to prostitution--it's illegal. Dancing facilities are just being taxed.

You don't even want to go into the ASCAP/BMI surcharge on venues that allow dancing, which for the Tractor is another multi-thousand dollar bill.

and done.

@3: In English?

Try as they might, they'll never stop me from dancin.

One might almost conclude that when tax revenues are too low to fund basic services (like if, for instance, the voters have passed initiatives making raising any new tax revenue virtually impossible) that the state will resort to draconian interpretations of existing tax code in order to squeeze every possible penny out of any business too small to employ lobbyists.

"What's the cover, $10? Here's $11, and don't try to stop me."

I seem to recall a similar issue with clubs not collecting sales tax on door charges to non-dancing shows, a few years ago. What happened with that?

Is it really so difficult to just tax the fucking cover charge (which is basically just a ticket for entry) rather than nickel-and-dime small businesses to death?

East fix: Define "dancing".

@12 - only because charging $11.50 at the door would be a nightmare, leading the businesses to keep their easy cover ($5, $10, $20, etc) and eating the cost of the sales tax, or tacking it into the price of drinks and food.

I've wondered why venues make such a point on their tickets and websites about not being a place for dancing, but rather a place for listening. I imagined it had to do with fire codes.

It seems like a stupid distinction in any case. Whether a crowd is dancing or just standing still shouldn't make a difference to the taxes paid.

We could improve all of Seattle's lackadaisical shows by simply taxing NOT dancing. How bout it, government?

@4 - That BMI/ASCAP surcharge applies to businesses without a dance-floor, too. In fact, I don't think dancing figures into it at all: it's more about featuring live performances and charging admission, because of the possibility of a performer covering a BMI/ASCAP song.

But even if your retail business or restaurant plays just recorded music, or doesn't charge admission for live performances, you are very likely subject to such a charge.

My local restaurant/bar with no dance floor or public performances pays around a thousand a year because they play recorded music. A big factor is how many people can fit in your business at any given time.

Here's an interesting article about it from the NY Times that follows a BMI enforcer around.

@14,

Sounds better than getting stuck with a $200,000 bill one day

If it's understood that a sales tax has to be charged on the cover (even if the venue has to "eat" the cost or increase costs of drinks to cover it), it's still better than the government suddenly swooping in and charging some dumbshit tax on dance floors.

I should note that I'm generally opposed to sales taxes. I prefer income taxes, and, even if we must have sales taxes, I think they should be included in the price, not charged at the cash register. But if this state is going to be funded exclusively by regressive taxes, then make the system as simple and fair as possible. Charge the tax on goods and services sold, not on the existence of an item within a business (whether it's used by the customers or not).

@16

Chris, you beautiful SOB! where have you been? you are spot fuckin' on!

What is wrong with our state, penalizing joints that *might* allow dancing? Are we reverting to the Dark Ages of Southern Baptists? Or Fucking Mormons?

This is why Seattle's music scene died. The people at city call have a hardon for destroying everything we love. Fuck those assholes, fuck them for killing the scene with their laws and their taxes. The people with money to invest swore off Seattle until each and every one of these blood sucking douche bags got exactly what they wanted, an exclusive 21+ scene of douche bags who probably fuck people in city government to avoid harassment. I love visiting other city's music scenes, and I really hate anyone who participated in making Seattle a hostile environmental for dance clubs. The next kid that dies in an illegal rave will spill blood all over these money grubbing douche bags. I'm sure when they wake up to their morning coffee they think their shit doesn't stink. Mother fucking assholes.

Join the dance tax rebellion here: seattle-nma.org

@17

If you're simply playing background music from radio, CD, MP3, etc., and are not using a DJ, jukebox, live performance or playing the audio from your TVs overhead, you should consider subscribing to a commercial music service. For less than $500 per year, you would be compliant with all Performance Rights Organizations (ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC) and receive new music every month.

PlayNetwork is a Redmond-based provider of this type of service. www.playnetwork.com

@17

If you're simply playing background music from radio, CD, MP3, etc., and are not using a DJ, jukebox, live performance or playing the audio from your TVs overhead, you should consider subscribing to a commercial music service. For less than $500 per year, you would be compliant with all Performance Rights Organizations (ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC) and receive new music every month.

PlayNetwork is a Redmond-based provider of this type of service. www.playnetwork.com