Tell DC Govt. to Stop Hurting Small Business / Re-Open Murky Coffee

THIS PETITION HAS BEEN UPDATED SEE ADDITIONS BELOW.

On February 26, 2008, the DC Office of Tax and Revenue closed the Capitol Hill location of Murky Coffee (Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Streets, SE) for non-compliance issues.

This petition does not seek to comment in any way on Murky Coffee's compliance or non-compliance with DC Tax Laws. However, we do demand that the DC Office of Tax and Revenue and the DC Council reconsider the compliance tactics they apply to small businesses; that they provide support and guidance for small businesses to achieve compliance; and that they be flexible to small business trying to satisfy their obligations; leading to the expedient re-opening of Murky Coffee.

Neighbors and patrons know that Murky Coffee has become an inextricable part of the Capitol Hill community. It is a destination for family outings, a social gathering point for every generation of the community, a place where entrepreneurs work and where new business ideas are hatched and brokered.

Nick Cho and his employees are conscientious members of our community. They are friendly, welcoming and playful with everyone who enters their shop. They make efforts to do good by our community: recycling their coffee grounds (offering it as fertilizer for our gardens), encouraging us to reduce trash in our land fills by offering discounts to patrons who bring their own coffee cups, recognizing the contributions our teachers make by giving them discounts on their coffee, and supporting the less fortunate in our community (such as Alice by displaying her pencil drawings and passing on the proceeds from the sale of those drawings to her). We know by their actions that Nick Cho and all those associated with Murky Coffee are good people.

We think that it is heavy-handed, discourages entrepreneurial spirit and tears at the community fabric for the Office of Tax and Revenue to shutter businesses that are making efforts to satisfy their obligations.

Further, we think that it is not in the best interest of DC taxpayers or the Office of Tax and Revenue to shutter small businesses trying to satisfy their obligations -- particularly those operating hand-to-mouth -- thereby eliminating any source of revenue to the small business, compounding its debt and ensuring the business will never be able to satisfy its obligations.

UPDATE: Please see the Murky Coffee website and the Petition Forum (link below) for latest information on the status of the Capitol Hill shop. Despite current circumstances facing Murky Coffee, we encourage you to sign the petition and write your Councilmember and OTR. The premise of the petition remains.

Also, please see the Petition Forum (link below) for e-mail addresses for Councilmembers and OTR representatives, correspondence with them and their responses. You may also post messages in this area.