GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING
Today, Governor JB Pritzker‘s briefing focused on the state’s efforts to procure personal protective equipment (PPE) and increase hospital beds.
DRIVER’S LICENSES & ID’S
The Illinois Secretary of State’s office previously suspended renewal of all driver’s licenses, CDLs, ID cards, instruction permits and permits for the duration of the Governor’s disaster proclamation and for 30-days after it is withdrawn. This will mean there are expired driver’s license and ID cards being presented for the purchase of age-restricted products. You can view the Secretary of State’s guidance here. IRMA has conferred with the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. ILCC agents will not penalize if an expired DL/ID is presented during the Secretary of State’s suspension. However, retailers must still ask for and receive identification demonstrating that someone is eligible to purchase the age-restricted product in question.
SALES TAXES
Illinois has one of the most aggressive pre-paid sales tax payment regimes in the nation. Anyone with $20,000 or more in annual sales tax liabilities, must pay on a quarter-monthly basis. This means anyone with annual sales of $320,000 or more based on the state’s 6.25%. A sales tax payer in the City of Chicago at 10.25% would have annual sales of $195,122 or more in order to have to pay quarter-monthly. Normally, that means estimating sales tax payments based on the same time period in the previous year. However, Illinois law also allows entities to pay based on actual liability for the month. For those entities making no or few sales, please be aware of this option. For your convenience, the actual statutory language is below:
(35 ILCS 120/3)(from Ch. 120, par. 442)
On and after October 1, 2000, if the taxpayer’s average monthly tax liability to the Department under this Act, the Use Tax Act, the Service Occupation Tax Act, and the Service Use Tax Act, excluding any liability for prepaid sales tax to be remitted in accordance with Section 2d of this Act, was $20,000 or more during the preceding 4 complete calendar quarters, he shall file a return with the Department each month by the 20th day of the month next following the month during which such tax liability is incurred and shall make payment to the Department on or before the 7th, 15th, 22nd and last day of the month during which such liability is incurred.
If the month during which such tax liability is incurred begins on or after January 1, 1988, and prior to January 1, 1989, or begins on or after January 1, 1996, each payment shall be in an amount equal to 22.5% of the taxpayer’s actual liability for the month or 25% of the taxpayer’s liability for the same calendar month of the preceding year.
SNAP
As noted in the last two IRMA daily COVID-19 briefings, $78 million in additional emergency benefits for existing SNAP clients are being allotted this month. The scheduled for this allotment is as follows:
| Availability Date | Amount |
| 4/8/2020 | $ 3,832,276 |
| 4/9/2020 | $ 11,910,712 |
| 4/10/2020 | $ 11,368,948 |
| 4/11/2020 | $ 13,683,643 |
| 4/14/2020 | $ 16,159,314 |
| 4/15/2020 | $ 16,806,194 |
| 4/17/2020 | $ 2,614,733 |
| 4/18/2020 | $ 2,502,475 |
The Illinois Department of Human Services publicly announced these additional benefits this afternoon. You may view the Department’s announcement here. Remember, these number are in addition to the benefits that clients currently receive.
There is another round of additional benefits that have yet to be put into circulation.This second group of benefits will go to families with children that are eligible for the free school lunch program, also known as P-EBT. These benefits will total to about $95 million and the Department hopes to spread that as evenly as possible between 20th-30th of the month. When IRMA receives an actual estimate of how those benefits will be distributed, we will send that to you.
ALL IN ILLINOIS
The State of Illinois launched a public awareness program All In Illinois. It is designed to give citizens practical tips and tools to keep themselves and those like medical professionals and retail workers safe. Citizens can also use it to change their social media profiles, print a sign for windows/doors, and share stories of those who are going above-and-beyond to meet the needs around them.
IRMA encourages you to visit All In Illinois and to make your employees aware as well.
ILLINOIS COVID-19 IMPACT UPDATE
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, MD, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Healthannounced 1,006 new cases in Illinois, including 33 more deaths. Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 12,262 cases, to date, including 307 deaths, in 73 of Illinois’ 102 counties. Additional information can be found here. Dr. Ezike also announced that beginning later today, COVID-19 stats by zip code will be available here.