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Small Businesses:  Help "Moms & Pops"


Small businesses are struggling. They historically accounted for 51% of state jobs (Small Business Advocacy). And this was before Covid! Now businesses face bankruptcy or will never reopen through no fault of their own. Here are steps we can take to help small businesses.

1.  As Covid devastated the economy, the city and state should offer no-interest loans and a tax moratorium of six months to small businesses owned by NYC residents.


2.  Reduce fees and regulations on small businesses. Penalties should be on a sliding scale since penalties are supposed to protect the public by halting dangerous business practices.  Having the same fine for a small business and a large corporation hurts the small business but does little to curb the behavior of the larger corporation.


3.  Reduce New York's tax rate on small businesses, one of the highest in the nation (Federation of Tax Administration). Given high tax rates and burdensome regulations, New Yorkers have difficulty finding jobs.


4.  Institute a tax credit for small businesses that offer their employees fair sick days and pension plans.


5.  Give every community board two seats in zoning boards to ensure that the community has a fair voice in zoning and building decisions.  Revise the city charter to ensure this.


6.  Fine predatory behavior by large corporations to protect small business owners.


7.  Ensure that rent increases reflect the inflation rate plus “reasonable” cause for rent increases.  Landlords will have to apply for permission to raise rent beyond the inflation rate.


8.  Community Boards should be empowered to prevent landlords from evicting mom-and-pop stores that satisfy their rent. Landlords should not evict good tenants because a wealthy national corporation offers a higher rent. It's unfair. It allows predatory behavior from rich corporations.


9.  Out-of-state and S&P 500 corporations shall not be allowed to push out mom and pops aided by landlord holdovers designed to scare away local storeowners in good standing.  Landlords holding stores vacant for more than three months should be severely fined unless they show that they are not holding out to enlist rich corporate entities for higher rent.


10.  Lower taxes for storeowners who are NYC residents.  Remove burdensome, time-consuming, and costly paperwork as much as possible.


11.  Grant Community Boards the right to oppose corporate actions harmful to local business owners insofar as granting the boards two votes in zoning boards.  CBs must have authority and not merely offer “opinions” frequently ignored by the powerful.