Chicago City Wire

The Hospitality Business Association of Chicago (HBAC) participated, with several other Illinois business groups, in sending an appeal to Gov. J.B. Pritzker to drop his proposal of removing the tax relief given to businesses in response to the economic collapse of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We urge the Governor and legislature to reject this massive tax increase at a time when thousands of small businesses across the entire state are struggling to stay afloat during a pandemic and government-imposed shutdowns,” the group said. “This will have a dramatic impact on every aspect of business, including some of our most decimated industries. We understand the desire to find revenue, but this is the opposite of an ‘all-in’ approach.”

The governor is looking at decoupling the Illinois tax law from the federal law which could add $500 million in revenue to the state, the Washington Examiner reported.

The business community, including HBAC, which has more than 200 members, strongly opposed this move.

The non-profit chamber of commerce for locally-owned hospitality businesses in Chicago, HBAC, is on a mission to protect Chicago hospitality businesses, which includes keeping its members informed of trends and issues related to their industry. It has been “Serving the Industry that Serves Chicago,” since 2005.