Dupage Policy Journal

As a restaurant and food truck owner, I know firsthand how difficult it is to open and maintain a business in Illinois. Despite small business being a vital component in the stability of the state and employing nearly half of the workforce in Illinois, the state continues to hammer us with wave after wave of higher taxes and more burdensome regulations.  Small businesses are suffering and being driven out of state. 

Additionally, lawsuit abuse is costing our GDP billions and adding thousands in personal expenses. Despite efforts to reopen our state’s economy, our industry continues to bleed jobs, with the January jobs report alone showing a loss of 1,600 hospitality jobs.

Entrepreneurs already face great odds and have a high risk of failure to survive their first few critical years.  However, when you compound this issue with anti-business policies put into place by Illinois lawmakers, who continuously extract money in every possible manner, it only increases the risk of failure.

With all these stacked costs, it becomes more and more challenging for entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground, let alone keep them running. It should come as no surprise that Illinois ranks 36th on the Tax Foundation’s 2022 business tax climate index.

Something needs to change, and fast.

Springfield lawmakers are creating an increasingly hostile environment for commerce despite all their talk of supporting hardworking Illinois family businesses. Continuing down this road will only lead to reduced economic activity and a failed recovery from the pandemic.  We need our legislators to roll back their harmful measures and create an environment where small businesses can thrive.

If they can’t, then we need new voices who will. November can’t come soon enough.

Kathleen Murray is the owner of Saucy Kat Food Truck and is a candidate for the 21st Senate District.