Small business owners trying to save their livelihoods could face up to a year in prison under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s new emergency rules, unless a key committee fights back.
As new claims overwhelm an unprepared and inefficient system, the state has been pre-approved for a $5 billion loan from the federal government to ensure benefits continue to be paid.
The governor’s new penalty comes without approval from the Illinois General Assembly.
Removing the progressive tax question from the Nov. 3 ballot would give over 100,000 small businesses some certainty as they struggle to recover from the COVID-19 shutdown.
Small businesses face a potential income tax hike nearly 5 times larger than corporations under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “fair tax” amendment.
Amid a recent series of lawsuits, the 2001 informal opinion by the Illinois Attorney General’s office concludes the emergency powers granted a governor during a disaster cannot be extended beyond 30 days without legislative approval.
Illinoisans who have struggled without paychecks because of the COVID-19 shutdown could get a delay on their property taxes. The hope is they are working again before they must pay the bill.
“To the person who doesn’t understand survival as a small business, guess what happens if I close? I have a personal guarantee on everything in this store. I would go bankrupt, period."
Opposition to Pritzker’s order is growing, as small business owners sue to challenge the governor’s ability to order them into ruin.
“My center is family child care. The governor took and suspended all of our licenses throughout the state."
“If I lose my business, I might as well be dead as far as I’m concerned. I’ve done this my whole life. Now that may sound stupid to some people, but it doesn’t to me."
“I was willing to do the shelter-in-place to flatten the curve and do what was needed for the country. In the beginning I think it was the only decision that was able to be made. But after that, nothing is making sense."