SMALL BUSINESS TO WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY MEMBERS: SAVE TAX DOLLARS BY REPEALING PREVAILING WAGE
MADISON (May 27, 2015):
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the state’s
leading small business organization, testified today in front of Wisconsin’s
Assembly Committee on Labor where law makers were implored to repeal prevailing
wage.
“As taxpayers, small business owners want their government
to be efficient and prudent with their tax dollars and the policy of prevailing
wage is neither efficient, nor prudent.” Said NFIB Wisconsin State Director
Bill G. Smith. “We heard from an overwhelming 84% of our businesses that
anything short of a repeal will unfairly continue to block small businesses
from their rightful opportunity to participle in publicly funded projects,
which would in turn, provide jobs for hardworking taxpayers.”
Smith commended committee Chair Representative Andre Jacque
for scheduling the hearing on such a vitally important issue for small
business. He then cited several studies in states across the country that have
shown repeatedly contractors being forced to pay wages that were, in some
cases, as much as 60% over market value, costing tax payers millions of dollars
in unnecessary construction costs.
“Every extra dollar spent on prevailing wage rates instead
of improving our state or hiring additional people is wasted. At a time when
law makers needs to maximize the value of those dollars that they collect,
repealing Wisconsin’s archaic prevailing wage law will not only save tax payers
money, but also end a practice that shuts out small and minority contractors
from participating in the bidding process for local projects.” Concluded Smith.
