Jimmy Patronis predicts restaurant server surge when ‘No Tax on Tips’ becomes law

America’s Golden Age may extend to restaurant service if “No Tax on Tips” becomes law, according to U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis.

“It’ll change the dynamics of going out to eat a lot. I wouldn’t be even surprised if you don’t see restaurants having a different approach to the customer because of it. It’ll be interesting how the culture will change,” Patronis said an interview Tuesday on News Radio 1620.

Patronis knows a thing or two about restaurants. His family owns Captain Anderson’s in Panama City Beach.

The Panhandle Republican also predicted that people would be more likely to become wait staff under provisions of the proposal.

“You think about the typical service industry employee, you know, maybe they make somewhere to the tune of $40 to $45,000 a year. Well, now you’ve taken taxes off of those tip wages, and now it’s going to be a shot in the arm, those dollars will be spent,” Patronis said. “I would think most restaurants are going to have people standing in line to wait tables just because of how lucrative a benefit that’ll become.”

Now it’s just a matter of making it official, given broad agreement for the concept.

The Senate unanimously passed standalone legislation to remove tax on tips up to $25,000 in a given year last week, while the House has included similar provisions in its tax package. President Donald Trump promised tax relief for servers and other tip-compensated staff during the campaign last year.