News release
NFIB: Extended Sales Tax Reprieve Welcome News
Putting small biz back to work should be state’s top economic priority
Albany (May 21, 2020) – NFIB, a small business advocacy association that represents thousands of members in New York, issues the following statement today attributable to Greg Biryla, state director of NFIB in New York:
“Small businesses on Main Streets across the Empire State continue to face unprecedented anxiety and uncertainty from COVID-19 and the resulting economic shutdown. As New York begins to reestablish commerce, three things are paramount: Our reopening must be safe, fast, and fair.
“Small, independent businesses deserve the exact same opportunities to reclaim and pursue their livelihoods as big-box mega-stores. Even with several iterations of federal relief programs, cashflow remains the most pressing immediate challenge for small businesses that have been forced to close or are otherwise seeing their operations and sales dramatically impacted by COVID-19.
“In March, NFIB asked Governor Cuomo to delay or defer sales tax remittance for small businesses without interest or penalty. That reprieve provided a little bit of runway for many desperate small businesses. Two months later, the small businesses that employ half the state’s working population are still navigating a day-to-day crisis. The Governor’s announcement that March’s original sales tax deferral is extended through June 22 is welcome news. Small businesses from Buffalo to Montauk are ready to do what they do best, create jobs, and drive local economies. Reopening the marketplace for small businesses should be New York’s chief economic priority.”
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