RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond restaurant is still struggling to stay afloat years after a meals tax mix-up left them with a bill of nearly $40,000.
As previously reported by 8News , Philly Vegan was one of dozens of restaurants incorrectly told by the city’s finance department to halt collections of meals tax money in 2021. Nine months after halting collections, the restaurant was told it was a mistake and was ordered to pay back the tax money, along with fees — the final bill was nearly $40,000.
As the fight with the city continued, Veney said lawyer fees and court costs piled on. Now, the City has owned up to the mistake and offered a resolution for the outstanding tax money, but the other fees have added up to nearly $25,000.
“The city has damaged our business and has done nothing to repair the damage they caused,” said Samuel Veney, co-owner of Philly Vegan. “We had to take all of our resources that we had to fight the city, we’re exhausted.”
Veney added that there was additional money the restaurant missed out on while working to resolve this problem.