A Daily Advertiser investigation has revealed our cafe operators are being hit a great deal harder than those in similar sized centres.

Currently, a Wagga City Council application for street furniture costs $456 - which needs to be renewed every three years - with an additional fee of $52 for each chair.

In comparison, the annual fee in Wodonga is $32 with no cost per chair, while Dubbo is $105 and no seat fee.

It prompts the question - why the vast difference?

To date the best answer council  has come up with was the cost was approved in the 2014/15 revenue/pricing policy.

Well, seriously, what sort of an answer is that? In, fact it isn't an answer at all.

Council officers need to provide information as to how they calculate their fee and than we can compare that formula with the other cities.

Wagga's Storehouse Cafe and Deli owner Simon Gulliford says the costs make for "tough going" - and indeed he is right.

Council should be doing everything in its power to help, not hinder, small business owners in our city.

High council fees certainly don't help.

Mr Gulliford has 24 chairs outside his cafe and they cost him more than $1200 a year.

In order for his business to survive he has to provide outdoor seating, even though it's only used about 60 per cent of the time due to the weather.

Insurance, rent, staff costs and over-the-top workplace health and safety rules and regulations are already hurting our cafe operators.

What they don't need is an over zealous council adding to their burden by over charging them for providing outdoor dining facilities.

The current pricing policy should be reviewed at the very least.