Skoufis, Kaplan and 29 Majority Colleagues Urge Cuomo to Delay Sales Tax Collection to Aid Small Businesses

New York State Senator James Skoufis (D-39th District) and Senator Anna M. Kaplan (D-7th District), along with 29 colleagues from the Senate Democratic Majority Conference, sent a joint letter to Governor Cuomo urging him to delay without penalty the sales tax revenue collection due on Friday, March 20, 2020.

Senator James Skoufis said, “This is a critical time and we have an obligation to provide every ounce of relief possible to small businesses that are deeply hurting. I urge the Governor to join the Conference in this push for a much-needed delay in tax collection and thank him for his leadership thus far.”  

Senator Anna M. Kaplan, Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business said, “We all know that small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and our downtowns, and we have to do everything in our power right now to support them during our present crisis.  We’re all extremely lucky to have Governor Cuomo at the helm of our state during this unprecedented moment in our history, and I’m so grateful for his strong, decisive leadership to protect all New Yorkers.  Today, I’m urging him to take further action to support our small businesses, by delaying the upcoming sales tax collection deadline without penalty.  I’m hopeful that this step will provide some small measure of relief to local businesses during these incredibly challenging times.”

The legislators’ joint letter, sent today, March 18th, is included below. 

March 18, 2020
Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
New York State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We write in support of the request by the State Comptroller to delay without penalty the sales tax revenue collection due on Friday, March 20, 2020. 

At a time when social distancing and mandatory closings are devastating small businesses around New York, our state government must take every possible step to assist. If we let thousands of businesses fail during the current crisis, the damage to the livelihoods of countless New Yorkers and the impact on local economies across the state will be incalculable.   

Businesses still have overhead costs while closed, (rent or mortgage payments, payroll, electric, etc.) and the temporary relief of the upcoming sales tax payment could be the difference between keeping staff employed and staying open or shutting forever. Small businesses are the backbone of our communities and they are struggling to survive. We must act now to help them stay afloat during this difficult period, as they will be critical to rebuilding our economy in the coming months. 

We sincerely thank you for your continued leadership during this time of crisis and look forward to you acting on this swiftly. 

Sincerely,

Senator James Skoufis
Senator Anna M. Kaplan 
Senator Joseph P. Addabbo
Senator Jamal Bailey
Senator Alessandra Biaggi
Senator Neil D. Breslin 
Senator David Carlucci
Senator Leroy Comrie
Senator Simcha Felder
Senator Jim Gaughran 
Senator Andrew Gounardes
Senator Peter Harckham
Senator Brad Hoylman
Senator Robert Jackson
Senator Todd Kaminsky 
Senator Brian Kavanaugh
Senator Tim Kennedy
Senator Liz Krueger
Senator Rachel May
Senator Monica Martinez 
Senator Shelley Mayer
Senator Jen Metzger 
Senator Zellnor Myrie
Senator Roxanne Persaud 
Senator Jessica Ramos
Senator Gustavo Rivera
Senator Julia Salazar
Senator Diane Savino
Senator Luis Sepulveda
Senator Toby Stavisky
Senator Kevin Thomas