Small businesses in Cold Spring, Putnam County.

In a business climate already gripped by uncertainty comes legislation that promises to dismantle monopolies and boost labor protections, but which actually takes dead aim at small New York businesses.

The Twenty-First Century Antitrust Act would substantially change the laws intended to foster competition and restrict monopolies. But rather than creating a fairer and more competitive economy, the bill departs so significantly from the principles of sound economic policy that it risks unleashing a wave of uncertainty and frivolous litigation that will undermine business investment, entrepreneurship and job creation, hurting all New Yorkers.

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And though the bill’s wording exempts small businesses, they will be indirectly crushed by the limitations imposed on their digital platform partners.

The bill introduces a vague new “abuse of dominance” standard that makes a firm’s size itself suspect. This departs significantly from current law, which emphasizes a balance between consumer........

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