The Corp plans to absorb a new tax on sugared drinks as a business cost, maintaining the price of 20 ounce bottles at one dollar.

The law, which goes into effect on October 1, levies a six percent sales tax on sodas, sports drinks, and other sweet drinks sold in D.C. The revenue from the tax will go towards mandatory physical education programs and healthier lunches at schools.

“For our management team, the choice here was a simple one: pass on a price increase to our fellow students or absorb that increase and continue to sell Coke at the cheapest rate in the region,” Corp CEO Brad Glasser (COL ’11) wrote in an email. “It’s just a little sign of our appreciation for all the support the Georgetown community has shown the Corp.”

Good work, Students of Georgetown, Inc! If you could only do something about those long lines at Vittles.

Photo: Flickr user “petesfamily“

Two Georgetown-area hookah bars—Prince of Georgetown, located at 3205 Prospect Street, and Prince Café, located at 1042 Wisconsin Avenue—were shut down by the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue on Wednesday due to unpaid sales taxes.

The closures were part of a larger push by OTR to investigate businesses that are not remitting the sales taxes they collect from patrons.  The hookah bars and six other D.C. restaurants (including one other Georgetown establishment, Mendocino Grille at 2917 M Street) had their sales tax certificates revoked, meaning they are no longer able to make food or beverage sales, according to a press release from OTR.

According to the press release:

OTR made numerous attempts to collect the outstanding taxes from the establishments without success. When the owners failed to respond to multiple collection notices, OTR was forced to revoke their sales tax certificates.

If the businesses continue not to pay their sales taxes, they could face seizures and bank levies.

 These blurry Eastern European people came to an ANC meeting once to learn about democracy. Really!

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission might not sound interesting, but it’s actually a hotbed of intrigue. Check out last night’s meeting:

• Commissioner Bill Skelsey, who didn’t register to run in today’s election and now has to be a write-in, propped up a little sign over Commissioner Tom Birch’s name placard that said “Bill Skelsey–Write-in”.
• The ANC voted to stop being tax scofflaws and pay the $3,000 in back taxes and penalties it owed the IRS.
• Wells Thomason, an adorable young man with a name like a robber baron, read a community comment thanking Georgetown students for frequenting his lemonade and cookies stand. He made $1,590 and gave it to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Kudos, Wells and students.

Also, Councilman Jack Evans’s Republican opponent Christina Culver showed up to hit her opponent on the tax theft scandal and promise a better environment for businesses. Big mistakes, because everyone knows that actually the way to run against Evans is to tease him for moonlighting.

I always thought the “representation” part would come before the “no taxation” part on DC’s license plate, but the 2008 Sales Tax Holiday, which kicks off at midnight tonight and runs until the 10th, suggests otherwise.

All clothes, shoes, accessories, and school supplies under $100 per item are eligible for exemption from the District’s 5.75% sales tax. The exemption is well-timed to give locals a break on back-to-school shopping, but there’s no reason you can’t take advantage of it, too.