Government officials and the owners of professional lawn-mowing services in a Birmingham, Alabama suburb say teenagers must pay $110 for an official business license if they want earn some cash this summer cutting the grass in neighborhood yards.
The site of the business license brouhaha is the town of Gardendale (pop.: 13,893), reports local ABC affiliate WBMA.
Local residents say they aren’t happy about the $110 tax on teenagers who are actually trying to do something useful in society.
Elton Campbell, whose granddaughter cuts the grass in a few neighborhood yards, is one such resident.
“She charges one lady $20, and another lady $30, and another girl $40 besides what we pay her,” Campbell told WBMA.
“One of the men that cuts several yards made a remark to one of our neighbors, ‘that if he saw her cutting grass again that he was going to call Gardendale’ because she didn’t have a business license,” Campbell claimed.
Alainna Parris, Campbell’s granddaughter, told the station she plans to use the money she earns by mowing lawns “for admissions and stuff like that — trips.”
Gardendale Mayor Stan Hogeland explained that everyone operating a business within the city limits must fork over $110 for a business license.
“I would really love to have something on our books that gave, I guess, a more favorable response to that student out there cutting grass,” Hogeland told the local ABC affiliate. “And see if there’s maybe a temporary license during the summer months that targets teenagers.”
The Gardendale city clerk did not respond to questions from The Daily Caller.
Parris, the lawn-mowing teen, told WBMA that she believes it’s unfair to make teens pay $110 for a business license because they mow the occasional lawn for a few bucks.
“There’s kids at home on iPads and electronics and not wanting to go outside,” she observed.
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