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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Illinois residents have been facing one of the
3most difficult times in the State's history; and
 
4    WHEREAS, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in
5March of 2020 and has now continued a year after the outset,
6Illinois families and businesses have had to make incredible
7sacrifices; the human and economic toll has been incredible;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, throughout this ordeal, however, there has been
10one constant: resilience; though times have been very
11difficult, the ability for Illinois families and businesses to
12stay strong and overcome unbelievable obstacles has been
13extraordinary; and
 
14    WHEREAS, this Illinois resilience has been found in more
15than one way in the Illinois retail and restaurant sector;
16faced with enormous challenges, ranging from early closures
17due to stay-at-home orders, to struggling to open (or reopen)
18their doors and keep workers on the payroll, to paying the
19various taxes, fees, and other forms of costs incurred through
20the normal course of doing business in this State, Illinois
21retailers and restaurants (and the many small businesses that
22make-up these sectors) have been there to support Illinois

 

 

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1families with stocked shelves, warm food, and other provisions
2that have been essential to the resilience exhibited by people
3of this State; and
 
4    WHEREAS, now more than ever, with an economy slowly seeing
5glimpses of a return to normalcy, State government should do
6anything within its power to ensure that Illinois businesses
7have the ability to come back stronger than ever in order to
8get the economy back on track; and
 
9    WHEREAS, instead of hearing this message, there are
10renewed calls to enact legislation that punishes Illinois
11businesses; one such proposal would take away the vendor's
12discount; the vendor's discount authorizes a retailer to
13retain a portion of the use and occupation taxes they collect
14as reimbursement for the retailers' cost of complying with
15those taxes on behalf of the State and units of local
16government; and
 
17    WHEREAS, the vendor's discount is a fair provision found
18in State law that is in line with similar provisions which
19allow the Department of Revenue to retain a portion of sales
20taxes collected and remitted to units of local government; and
 
21    WHEREAS, in a time when retailers and restaurants in this
22State need the support of the State in order to help stimulate

 

 

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1the economy back to pre-pandemic levels, proposals such as the
2reduction or elimination of the vendor's discount run counter
3to that goal; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
5HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
6we state our belief that no reduction or elimination of the
7vendor's discount be enacted; and be it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9delivered to the Governor, the Speaker and Minority Leader of
10the House of Representatives, and the President and Minority
11Leader of the Illinois Senate.