Pritzker to your favorite restaurant and small business: Screw you, you are not getting Federal Covid Tax Relief Funds

Illinois, according to Restaurant.org lost a record number of jobs tied to the restaurant and bar industry in November (see quote), the month that started with Governor Pritzker’s order to close all indoor dining, Nov 01, 2020. The nearest state to Illinois in losses was Michigan, with a mere 9900 lost jobs.

Illinois lost a net 31,100 eating and drinking place jobs in November, which was easily the highest among the 36 states that experienced employment declines…

The US Congress passed a bipartisan Covid Relief Funds bill to provide federal relief to small businesses, which, undoubtedly, would have provided some hope and jobs to the restaurant industry, among other types of small businesses, but Governor Pritzker has stated:

“Unfortunately, COVID also hit our state budget, requiring tough choices about what we can and cannot afford. Right now, we cannot afford to expand tax breaks to businesses that already receive tax breaks.”

Illinois State Chamber of Commerce head, Todd Maisch said in response:

This is tax relief for the hardest hit small businesses in the nation that was enacted in Washington on a bipartisan basis,” Maisch said. “So that’s actual money in small businesses’ pockets that allows them to go ahead and compensate for the fact that they don’t have customers right now.”

Pritzker has decided to take that money and apply it to the state’s budget deficit. According to WCIA:

Congress approved federal tax relief to help businesses recover some losses during the pandemic. The governor announced Illinois could suspend those tax breaks in Illinois and still require businesses to pay to the state

Will some knowledgeable Democrat please tell me how this helps the “little guy?” Your posts are most welcome and never censored.