Easton council to levy fees on arcade games, pool tables, other items.

By Tracy Jordan
Of The Morning Call

The amusement tax Easton City Council approved last week to assess a 5 percent tax on admissions to entertainment events also included a provision to tax mechanical and amusement devices, such as copy machines and arcade video games.

The ordinance did not, however, set an amount for the tax. Council intends to approve a fee schedule as part of the 2006 budget, which will likely be approved in late December. Easton's proposed fee schedule would charge a variety of fees ranging from $2 to $250.

A fee also would be assessed on devices that are neither mechanical nor for amusement.

Laundromat owners, for example, would pay $25 a year for each washer and dryer in a facility.

In addition to operators paying a set fee per device, distributors of the devices also would pay a 5 percent tax on gross receipts.

The proposed fee schedule for operators is based on the type of device. The only devices exempt from the ordinance are automated teller machines and lottery ticket dispensing machines.

Other devices included on the proposed fee schedule are: ticket dispensing machines for small games of chance, $200; copy machines, $50; arcade video games, $100; simulated gambling video games, $250; pool tables, $50; jukeboxes, $50; bowling machines, $50; carnival or amusement rides, $50; phone card machines, $100; dispensers of personal hygiene products, $25.

The fee on all other machines would be $50.

The proposed schedule also taxes cardboard punch boards — games of chance sold primarily in private clubs to patrons who pull tabs or punch holes to reveal whether they have won a cash prize.

The tax would be based on the amount of the prize. If approved, the tax will be $2 on a $50 prize card, $4 on a $100 prize card and $7 for cards with prizes over $100.