It used to be that if you were having a lunch meeting that you could “write it off” or get some relief when it came down to tax time. Many of you may not know, but you only get half of that meal tax deductible. So, if you splurge on that ridiculous lobster mac n’ cheese, you’re still paying for half of it.

This week, Representative Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation that would increase the federal tax deduction for business meals from 50% to 80%. What does this mean for you?

An increase in the tax deduction for business meals to 80 percent would boost business meal sales by an estimated $6 billion a year and create a $18 billion increase to the overall economy. The industry currently employs an estimated 13 million people, or 9 percent of the U.S. workforce. It is estimated that for every additional one million dollars in restaurant sales an additional 33 jobs are generated for the economy.

Basically, you, the business owner or employee, would feel more inclined to spend more money on biz related meals if you knew you didn’t have to cover half of it. What do y’all think? I know I’d feel much more comfortable having a meal meeting if I didn’t have to be so concerned with the cost of it.