Council members in Ashland took their solicitor’s advice and didn’t act on an ordinance that would have doubled the tax on Pennsylvania Skill game machines operating in the borough.
Ashland was preparing to increase its annual license fee from $250 to $500 per Skill game machine operating in the borough. In 2026, if that ordinance had passed, Ashland was expecting to collect $20,000 in fees.
However, Solicitor Jack Price told council members that it would be unwise to act on the amended ordinance due to the recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that determined Skill machines are no different than slot machines and, in essence, illegal as they’re currently being used in convenience stores, bars, non-profit organizations, and other local businesses.
“We would be taxing an illegal activity, which would be illegal,” Price say.
The lawyer also told council members that the Borough should not collect the money it would have gained from the license fees this year. When asked if it was illegal to collect the fees in the past, per the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, Price said he couldn’t provide an immediate answer to that.
Municipalities across Schuylkill County have adopted similar taxes on Skill machines, often veiled as a license fee. Ashland’s tabled ordinance would have only risen the cost of a license to half of the highest totals in Schuylkill County.
The Supreme Court justices suspended their decision for 120 days – until mid-October – to give state legislators some time to formally legalize Skill machines and how they would be taxed.
ALSO READ:
State Supreme Court Rules Skill Machines are Slot Machines, Violate the Law
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