After not being able to sell alcohol for nearly two weeks, XS Restaurant & Lounge will be able to pour again in time for the weekend after paying the city of Brookhaven more than $18,000 in overdue liquor taxes.
XS Lounge, as it commonly known as, made the payment of $18,433.88 to the city on June 13. The city had suspended the club’s alcohol license on June 3 after not receiving the payment, which was due last month.
XS Lounge, located in Northeast Plaza at 3375 Buford Highway, was cited last year for not paying its liquor excise taxes following an audit.
The Rusty Nail, a popular watering hole at 2900 Buford Highway, was also told by the city it owed back taxes on liquor sales, but in an appeal the city determined last week the bar owed nothing.
The bar was first told in December it owed $5,609.93 then the city determined in April it only owed $3,979.90.
Assistant City Manager and CFO Steve Chapman said the bar’s management presented additional accounting records to the city last week that proved it had paid all its liquor taxes on time.
“Late last week [the Rusty Nail] gave us additional data. The data was given to Frazier & Deeter [the accounting firm] for analysis and it came back they were in compliance in what they should have paid us in excise taxes, so they don’t us anything,” Chapman said.