At a time when unemployment is at a record high, the businesses who are required to have an Occupational/Regulatory License can't afford to hire more help if they needed to.

According to Kesha Lavette, Colquitt City Clerk, all businesses are charged according to the number of full-time employees working in the business or institution. This ordinance was passed back on October 21, 2008.

The general business and administrative fee for a new license went up, no matter how many employees or how little or big the business.

The tax for one employee is $25.00 plus $25.00 administration fee, or $50.00.

In one case, the total business fee last year was $80.00. With the two owners and two fulltime employees, the license fees went from $80.00 to $250.00, or an increase in the tax of over 300 percent.

One business owner stated that she needed to hire another employee or two, but that would make her business licenses go up too high.

Another business owner stated that more help is needed, but to hire more, the tax would be more for the new business than the employees would bring in.

Other people thinking about starting or increasing their business in Colquitt might think about a more friendly community tax-wise that needs businesses to help collect sales taxes and hire employees when the economy needs new jobs more than ever before.