Businesses operating inside Ocala city limits no longer need to pay for a license to operate. City officials have eliminated the business tax receipt (BTR) program, citing declining revenue and rising administrative costs.

The move affects more than 6,500 businesses currently enrolled in the program.

Christopher J. Beers, founder of Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop — which has a location in downtown Ocala and 23 retail locations total — said the change is less about the money and more about reducing the burden on small business owners.

“The city has recognized that maybe it’s just one more thing that they don’t need to pass on to the small business owners,” Beers said.

Beers paid $75 annually for his receipt. He said the dollar amount was never the issue.

“I think the visibility now, the message from the city is that it’s one less piece of the complexity of opening up a business,” he said.

Why the city pulled the plug

City staff says the program’s finances simply stopped making sense. Even as Ocala continued to grow, BTR revenue has fallen steadily over the past four years while staffing costs have climbed.

Here’s a look at the trend:

Revenue dropped by roughly $83,000 over four years while staffing costs rose by $5,000 — squeezing the program’s value from both sides.

What businesses paid

The city currently has 6,538 BTR accounts in its CentralSquare system. Fees varied widely depending on the type of business:

• Lowest fee: $3.00
• Highest fee: $3,840.00
• Average fee: Approximately $91.94

The most common fees paid by businesses were:

What happens next

City staff says it is working to process refunds for businesses that already paid for the 2027 cycle. Those refunds are expected to be issued over the next 90 days.

Beers said he hopes the change signals a broader commitment to keeping Ocala’s business community strong.

“What excites me is that we really want to make it easy for businesses to operate in downtown Ocala,” he said. “Downtown is still a very exciting place to be at.”