2009 Legislative Victories

 

Passed affordable healthcare tax incentive

Alabama small business owners with 25 or fewer employees will be able to deduct

150 percent of the payment of health insurance premiums from their state income tax while allowing qualified employees of those employers to deduct the same amount from their individual income taxes beginning Jan. 1, 2009.

 

Defeated repeal of federal income tax deduction

This proposed constitutional amendment would have eliminated the state income tax deduction for federal income taxes for individual taxpayers. This legislation would have increased income tax revenues by $426 million annually. Business owners would have been the hardest hit by the repeal of the federal income tax deduction.

 

Stopped $22 million unemployment tax increase

Defeated legislation that would have changed state law for collection of unemployment benefits and raising unemployment taxes on employers by approximately $22 million annually.

 

Defeated health insurance mandates

Defeated legislation that would have required small and independent employers to provide full insurance coverage for certain conditions. If passed, these bills would have increased the cost of coverage for small businesses and may have terminated insurance coverage for employers and employees.