If you walk around Downtown Syracuse and are in the mood for shopping, finding those large chain businesses may be difficult. Armory Square is still a very popular shopping destination, but there isn’t much going on outside of there.
One reason for this trend is the excessive taxes that Downtown property owners have to pay, according to yestercuse.com. Not only do they pay regular city and county taxes that all property owners in Syracuse pay, but they are also subject to a non-optional Downtown Special District Assessment—essentially a tax for being located Downtown—to finance the Downtown Committee, a private, not-for-profit organization.
“I’ve never even heard of [the Special District Assessment],” says Diane Bersani, owner of Bersani Gallery on 217 S. Salina St. Bersani doesn’t own the property where her business is located. “Maybe it has an impact on my rent payments, but I had no idea that such a thing existed.”
Other business owners were not as unaware and indifferent.
Fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King have disappeared from Downtown, and many businesses choose local suburbs instead for lower taxes and more parking availability, yestercuse.com reports.
The Downtown Committee’s mission statement claims that it uses these funds to “improve Downtown’s image” and “increase its attractiveness,” among other things.
The Committee did not provide any further comment regarding businesses leaving for lower taxes.
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