Pioneer Checklist Includes Steps for Policy Makers, Business Owners to Revitalize Hardest-Hit Industries

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on

LinkedIn

BOSTON – Combining the recommendations of studies published earlier this year, Pioneer Institute has released “A Checklist for How to Revitalize the Industries Hit Hardest by COVID-19.”

“Together with public health, safely restoring economic activity and employment are of paramount urgency to the people of Massachusetts,” said Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios. “This checklist includes steps policy makers and business owners can take toward achieving that goal as quickly as possible.”

The recommendations for policy makers are organized in three sections: Immediate Relief, Tax Policy Changes and Permanent Reforms. Business owner recommendations are split into COVID-19 Health and Safety Protocols, Expanded Services and Steps to Improve Cash Flow.

Policy Makers

Among the ways policy makers can provide immediate relief is for state government to redirect funding from some federal grant programs to address immediate COVID-related needs. Local policy makers could allow food delivery, curb-side pick-up and drive-through arrangements by-right, and give local officials the authority to alter street design to facilitate these uses.

Tax changes include expanding and extending federal tax deductions and credits on capital and inventory purchases, as well as COVID-related spending; and enacting reforms that permanently redirect certain revenue streams to state stabilization funds.

National investment in upgrading broadband networks, particularly in rural America, and reducing certain state licensing requirements for blue-collar occupations are among the permanent reforms recommended.

Business Owners

Recommended COVID-19 health and safety protocols include investing in touchless payment options, personal protective equipment for staff, online tools, self-checkout and other reforms that address customers’ COVID concerns. Business owners should also post transparent summaries of implemented safety procedures at customer-facing points, including online.

Flexible deposits and cancellations for bookings/appointments as practicable, and partnering with similar businesses on gift card programs and promotional offers are among the steps business owners can consider to improve cash flow.

The recommendations are drawn from “Public Policy Guide for Economic Recovery from COVID-19 in the Retail and Hospitality Sectors” by Rebekah Paxton, Andrew Mikula and Greg Sullivan, which was published in July, and “The Long View: A Public Policy Roadmap for Saving Small Businesses During the COVID-19 Recovery Period” by Paxton and Mikula, which was published in September.

About Pioneer

Mission
Pioneer Institute develops and communicates dynamic ideas that advance prosperity and a vibrant civic life in Massachusetts and beyond.

Vision
Success for Pioneer is when the citizens of our state and nation prosper and our society thrives because we enjoy world-class options in education, healthcare, transportation and economic opportunity, and when our government is limited, accountable and transparent.

Values
Pioneer believes that America is at its best when our citizenry is well-educated, committed to liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise, and both willing and able to test their beliefs based on facts and the free exchange of ideas.

Get Our COVID-19 News, Tips & Resources!

Name
First Last
Email
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Related Posts:

COVID-19 will likely lead to a recession. Can Massachusetts municipal budgets handle one?

0 Comments

May 6, 2020

Using municipalities' experiences during the Great Recession, a new policy brief examines the likely impact of COVID-19 on local property taxes, as well as political implications for state aid. We list the municipal revenues by category among the least tax-reliant communities in Massachusetts, show the trajectory of tax revenue growth rate in Massachusetts state and local governments, and rank stabilization fund assets per capita among Massachusetts Gateway Cities.

The past six weeks of Massachusetts unemployment claims total 24.0 percent of civilian workforce

0 Comments

April 30, 2020

The U.S. Department of Labor released its weekly report on jobless claims this morning at 8:30 a.m., reporting that Massachusetts received 70,714 initial unemployment insurance (UI) claims during the week ended April 25. This brings the total of unemployment claims filed in Massachusetts since March 14, the beginning of the unemployment surge, to 725,018.

Re-opening for business: What should employers and commercial real estate managers do to prepare?

0 Comments

April 30, 2020

Weeks away from re-opening, now is a time when employers and real estate managers must act. To assist our community in doing a great job of preparing, Pioneer Institute, in partnership with the law firm of Verrill, is sharing two checklists that will help you keep your employees safe, anticipate challenges, and develop feasible and useful methods to successfully deal with those challenges when they do.

Report Finds “Reopening Day” in the Commonwealth Will Likely Include Phasing in Businesses and Contact Tracing

April 30, 2020

New study compares the reopening of three European countries – Austria, Denmark, and Germany – to highlight approaches that could inform the Commonwealth’s reopening strategy.

States across the country have enacted eviction moratoriums. What does this mean for the housing market in the long-term?

April 28, 2020

Last week, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill…

New jobless claims data shows that Massachusetts unemployment has grown from 2.8% to at least 20.4% in five weeks

0 Comments

April 23, 2020

Based on today’s jobless claims report, Pioneer Institute projects that the current unemployment rate in Massachusetts is at least 20.4 percent, with a minimum of 762,299 currently unemployed individuals.

Coronavirus & Contracts – Protecting Massachusetts Attorneys & Clients from Risk

0 Comments

April 21, 2020

In this episode of "Hubwonk," host Joe Selvaggi and Pioneer’s Chief Financial Officer & Director of Government Transparency, Mary Connaughton, speak with attorney and entrepreneur Kosta Ligris about how Massachusetts’ requirement for live attestation for many vital contracts is putting attorneys and clients at risk of exposure to coronavirus.

Hospitality, Retail Trade, Healthcare Among ‘Most Vulnerable Industries’ in Terms of Unemployment due to COVID-19

April 20, 2020

Recent data provided by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development show that hospitality, retail trade, healthcare and social assistance, and construction are the industries that have suffered the most unemployment as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the new Pioneer Institute report, “A Look at the Massachusetts Industries that are Most Vulnerable Due to COVID-19.”

COVID-19’s Impact on Rental Housing

0 Comments

April 16, 2020

The Massachusetts Legislature is currently debating a rental housing bill. What impact will it have on the many landlords for whom rental income is their only source of income?

Which industry’s workforce has been hurt the most from the COVID-19 outbreak?

0 Comments

April 15, 2020

Unemployment claims have reached all-time highs in the U.S. recently…

Will the COVID-19-related economic recession cause a spike in crime?

0 Comments

April 13, 2020

Intuitively, it makes sense that people replace legitimate business…

State Ranking: Michigan, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Nevada have been hardest-hit by COVID-19 jobless claims so far. Massachusetts ranks as 9th hardest-hit.

0 Comments

April 9, 2020

The U.S. Department of Labor reported today that in the week ended April 4, the advance number of seasonally-adjusted initial jobless claims was 6,606,000. This follows 6,867,000 initial claims filed in the week ended March 28 and 3,307,000 in the week ended March 21.

COVID-19 unemployment surge is on pace to wipe out the MA Unemployment Reserve Fund within three months

0 Comments

April 8, 2020

The unprecedented surge of COVID-19- related unemployment claims that began two weeks ago is on pace to wipe out the MA unemployment Reserve Fund within three months, which will force state leaders to turn to the federal government for a bailout loan.

Report: MA Likely to See Sharp Spike in Unemployment Rate

April 8, 2020

The COVID-19 recession could cause Massachusetts’ unemployment rate to skyrocket to 25.4 percent by this June, according to a new policy brief published by Pioneer Institute. The authors recommend that the state join others in lobbying Congress for large block grants to avoid a severe fiscal crisis.

Pioneer Launches Report Series Highlighting Massachusetts Job Growth and Business Trends Since 1998

April 1, 2020

In “Some Big, Broad Economic Trends in Massachusetts,” Pioneer analysis of two decades of data shows fluctuating employment changes across the state, as well as firm size information and the largest employers. The report is part one of aa series that aims to provide deeper insight into COVID-19's economic impact.