WASHINGTON Stuffed into the new emergency relief package is a morsel that President Donald Trump has long had on the buffet of his economic wish list: restoring full tax breaks for restaurant business meals.
But experts say it’s scant immediate help for an industry reeling from the pandemic, while critics deride it as an insensitive “three-Martini lunch” giveaway to business.
The new $900 billion pandemic relief package that is headed toward Trump’s desk after Congress cleared it Monday night delivers long-sought cash to businesses and individuals, and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a surge in a virus that has killed more than 300,000 people.
Writing off the 3-martini lunch is causing a stir siouxcityjournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from siouxcityjournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
iPolitics By Rachel Emmanuel. Published on Dec 22, 2020 4:51pm Conservative MP Gérard Deltell speaks to reporters Ottawa in April 2018. (Matthew Usherwood/iPolitics)
Opposition parties say they’ll take a closer look at government coffers in the new year.
Both the federal New Democrats and Conservatives told iPolitics they plan to scrutinize pandemic spending when the House of Commons returns after its six-week holiday break.
Conservative House leader Gérard Deltell said his party will be “very serious” in its study of government spending in 2021.
“We want to scrutinize in the committees and also in the House of Commons the billions of dollars of spending by this government,” he said on Tuesday. “We’ll take the government to account for spending so much money.”
Are Lamont and his fellow Democrats headed for a showdown over tax reform?
Gov. Ned Lamont doesn’t want to tax Connecticut’s rich, but many in his party feel differently
Over the next year, Gov. Ned Lamont has to help guide Connecticut’s economy out of the coronavirus pandemic and close a huge budget deficit.
Many of the governor’s fellow Democrats say these things cannot be accomplished without doing something Lamont loathes: raising state taxes on Connecticut’s wealthy.
But since Lamont also is expected to begin his campaign for a second term over the next 12 months, the governor may have no choice but to compromise with those who want reform.
Are Lamont and fellow Democrats headed for tax reform showdown?
Keith M. Phaneuf, CTMirror.org
FacebookTwitterEmail
Gov. Ned LamontH John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media
Over the next year, Gov. Ned Lamont has to help guide Connecticut’s economy out of the coronavirus pandemic and close a huge budget deficit.
Many of the governor’s fellow Democrats say these things cannot be accomplished without doing something Lamont loathes: raising state taxes on Connecticut’s wealthy.
But since Lamont also is expected to begin his campaign for a second term over the next 12 months, the governor may have no choice but to compromise with those who want reform.