Minutes 07/14/1953 - Laserfiche WebLink

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30 TUES DAY JUL~]l~ f251 Your own records of admission tax collections show that for the first four months of 1953 ac.JUission tax collections from all theatres in Martirnville was 18 per cent less than in 1952, and some 3.5 per cent less than in 19.51 for the sC'...me period. The increase in adnission prices that iVB 2re noiV charging has been to cover taxes, and we have reached the l:ini t in the anolmt of admission we can charge. The public has refused to pa::' higher admissions which we proved to ourselves when we attempted to increase our prices by .5 cents. -flhen the 10 per cent tax was first levied in Martinsville there were two first run theatres in operation. Today you still have the two first run theatres, but there are four drive-in theatres that vrere built outside the city in order to avoid the tax. I am certain that if this ta.."C had not been in effect at least two of these theatres would have been built inside the city and would have contributed much to t.1:e economic welfare of the city. I feel that the operation of our theatres and all the theatres in Martinsville is an asset to the comr.mnity. Vie being people in from outlying districts and their money is spent not only vwith us, but with our local merchants. It is a well known fact that moving pictures have done a Great deal twoard raising the standards of present day living. We create a local market for various articles of merchandise (home furnishings, etc.), which peol-ile see on our screens &nd wish to obtain for themselves. Naturally, our local merchants benefit from this. All of the local theatres are home ovmed and operated; which means that our money is spent in and for the betterment of Martimville. None of our income goes to maintair.ing a headquarters in New York or Washington; and none of it goes for executj~e salaries as it would in a chain operation. Our money stays in Martinsville. All of the theatres in tovm have always co-operated with the various civic activities. We co-operate with the Red Cross, The March of Dimes, Virginia Crippled Children Society, Tuberculosis Association~ Christmas Cheer and, in fact, every.worthwhile civic activity. Sm'ely, our value to the comrrmnity is worthy of your consideration to elimina.te the admission tax in order that Yie may stay in business. If any of you gentlenen who are in business found that the price you were receiving today for a given article is the sa."'TI.8 as the price that you received in 1940, and then discovered that you were only selling half as many of this article today as you did in 1940, and that your cost for this article had increased 98.9 per cent, plus a 10 per cent gross sales tax, would you be able to stay in business? That is the position that we are in, and unless you give us some help, I am very much afraid that some of our local theatres will join the 102 theatres in the United States which closed their doors for good during the week ending June 20. Gentlemen, I respectfully solicit your help. Very truly yours, F. M. Westfall In response to the petitioners' inquiry, Council assured these petitioners that it would give its decision on said request within the very near future.