SACRAMENTO, Calif.—An unexpected state income tax from a pandemic-era federal grant could financially impact over 15,000 food and beverage establishments. “This could be the largest cost any business has in the entire year,” Craig Winchester, partner at Perceptive Tax Advisory Group established, told The Epoch Times. “It’s akin to almost the entire payroll cost—about a 10 percent tax on some of these grants.” Under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act—which was signed into law last year—the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved $28.6 billion in tax-exempt grants through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund program for restaurants, bars, and other businesses that serve food and drinks. According to the SBA, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund distributes grants to replenish certain expenses like payroll and rent for the period between February 2020 through December 2021. Of the over 36,000 eligible businesses that applied for the grant in California, well over 15,000 were accepted. …