Reopening of state shines light on damage

Posted on June 27, 2020
The pandemic recovery plan is not going quickly enough for everyone (PHOTO:IDPH)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD– The return to indoor dining spotlights the disappearance of restaurant jobs, says an organization which frequently opposes Gov. JB Pritzker and other Democrats.

“We have the second harshest reopening restrictions in the country,” said Orphe Divounguy, chief economist of the free-market Illinois Policy Institute “The result is a slow return to the pre-COVID (-19) employment levels for the accommodation and food service industry. So far, they’ve lost 44 percent of old jobs – that’s nearly 230,000 jobs.”

The institute says what’s coming next is the governor’s request to switch Illinois’ income tax from flat to graduated, which IPI says is a tax hike, though the Pritzker administration says that’s only true for the top three percent of earners.

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