SMALL BUSINESS LETTER

Washington Small Business Owners Signed this letter to lawmakers in 2021.

Dear WA State Lawmakers,

The pandemic’s economic impacts on Washington’s restaurants, retailers, and many other service industries may drive many of us to close our doors for good. Small business closures not only impact us, they take food off the table for our employees and their families, and weaken the fabric of our communities.

The situation is too urgent to continue to wait for federal help that could arrive too late or not at all. So we are writing to ask you – Washington’s elected leaders – to help us and our state’s economy as soon as possible.

We urge you to immediately:

• Get cash into the hands of those who need it most, as fast as possible. Governor Inslee’s newest business grants are a good first step, but there are lots of other good ideas – direct cash assistance to struggling families, B&O tax refunds, sales tax deferral for small businesses – that do not require laborious application processes.
• Increase the speed and size of grants to small family-owned businesses, with priority on those that are the only source of income for entire households and people of color who face the biggest setbacks during recessions.

As you go into full session, we urge you to: 

• Avoid knee jerk cuts to the state budget. We must take care of all Washingtonians and continue services – such as healthcare, food programs, housing, and childcare – that people need to survive. This means holding steady, or increasing spending, to keep money flowing to communities.
• Pass progressive taxes that ask the wealthiest few and large profitable corporations to do their part. Low- and middle-income families, and small businesses, already pay more than their fair share in state taxes. Now it’s time to make sure those that have done well in Washington do right by Washington.

All of us, regardless of zip code, political party, industry, or color of our skin, want a vibrant, humming economy that keeps money flowing to Washington’s families and communities.

Current Covid restrictions harm our businesses today, but we are proud to do the right thing for the benefit of all Washingtonians, but we want to be here to celebrate an end to the pandemic and help rebuild a new, better economy where we can all thrive together.

Sincerely,
Signers