SMALL BUSINESS IN NEW JERSEY IS HAVING A VERY BAD WEEK
TRENTON (June 16, 2016): In
response to the minimum wage bill passing the Senate Budget and Appropriations
Committee today, the following statement may be attributed to National
Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) New Jersey state director, Laurie
Ehlbeck:
This week we’ve been hit with
nearly doubling the gas tax and now we are facing doubling the minimum wage.
Clearly lawmakers are determined to prove that instead of listening to
economists and business experts they would rather kowtow to special interest
groups. Proponents tell emotional stories designed to tug at the heartstrings
and instill empathy but at some point it needs to be acknowledged that
passionately charged anecdotes don’t create jobs and strengthen our economy,
small business owners do.
The minimum wage rate was never
intended to feed entire families or be made for a lifetime. It is an entry
level or training wage that is earned for the most part by teenagers or those
seeking to subsidize their household’s income. Drastically increasing the
minimum wage compounded with a ridiculous gas tax increase will drive small
businesses and the jobs they create out of the state. This week has been chock
full of bad ideas. Is it Friday yet?
