It shouldn\u2019t surprise you that Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s new \u201chelp small businesses\u201d plan won\u2019t do much for what most folks think \u201csmall business\u201d means. <\/p>\n
More than half of his list of \u201c50 regulatory reforms that will transform how government works with small businesses\u201d are aimed at helping street food vendors. <\/p>\n
And much of the rest is small-ball: Let barbers renew their permits every three years instead of every year; create one poster about food allergies instead of the separate city and state posters that restaurants now must post.<\/p>\n
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Or outright vapor: Vows to \u201creinforce excellence in customer service\u201d and to distribute the \u201cBusiness Owner Bill of Rights\u201d more widely.<\/p>\n
The real action is all about a tiny sector that produces almost no tax revenue but competes directly with brick-and-mortar restaurants that have real employees and pay taxes.<\/p>\n
They pour grease down sewer drains, run gas-powered generators all day and burn charcoal in the open air.<\/p>\n
As the city now prepares to expand the total number of food vendors, Mamdani wants to amnesty illegal food vendors who have amassed substantial fines to give them permits without making them pay their accrued debts.<\/p>\n