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National Restaurant Association Appeals to Governors & Mayors for Aid

April 6, 2020

This past weekend, the Association sent a letter to the National Governors Association and the United States Conference of Mayors thanking them for their help so far and asking for continued support. The letter asks Governors and Mayors to consider the following actions including:

Direct Aid to Restaurants and Employees

  • Provide grants to small businesses.
  • Create tax credits with expedited processing for retaining employees during the COVID-19 crisis.

Taxes and Fees

  • Delay sales tax remittance for restaurants.
  • Defer property, estimated income, corporate income, and franchise taxes.
  • Suspend meals taxes indefinitely or allow restaurants to keep meals tax revenue.
  • Suspend indefinitely government alcohol control fees, business improvement fees, health department licensing fees, and other hospitality fees/taxes.
  • Quickly refund overpayment of estimated taxes.

Commercial Payment Relief

  • Prohibit landlords from evicting or foreclosing restaurants for non-payment of rent or mortgages during the COVID-19 crisis.
  • Prohibit utilities from shutting off services to restaurants during the COVID-19 crisis due to lack of payment.

Regulatory Relief

  • Suspend any government mandates set to come into effect in the next two months.
  • Enact regulatory changes to enable restaurants to function as temporary grocery stores.
  • Allow restaurants with valid liquor licenses to sell alcohol for off-premise consumption and for delivery to customers.

Delivery Regulations

  • Cap delivery fees for restaurants on third party delivery.
  • Prevent third party delivery companies from charging restaurants surprise or hidden fees.

Read the full letter here.