04/08/2008
|
|
|
NFIB/Pennsylvania members and staff in front the Capitol during Small Business Day. |
Small business owners seek tax cuts, unemployment and healthcare reforms
NFIB's small business members are known for speaking their minds, and they certainly didn't disappoint at this year's Small Business Day in Harrisburg.
Members met with key state officials, legislative leaders, committee chairmen and state Senate and House lawmakers to talk about much-needed changes to the state's tax code, healthcare reform and critical changes to Pennsylvania's unemployment compensation law. The small business owners used their time in Harrisburg to explain to lawmakers how these important changes would help to reduce the cost of doing business in Pennsylvania and enable small business owners to create jobs. Members also walked the halls of the state Capitol to help stop several proposed mandates would hurt their companies and their workers.
NFIB unemployment compensation task force co-chair Joni Paladino led a delegation of small business owners to meetings with members of the state Senate and House Labor Relations committees. Paladino said unemployment compensation costs still are an expensive problem in Pennsylvania. NFIB members told the lawmakers on the committees that legislation included in NFIB's unemployment compensation reform agenda would help make Pennsylvania's unemployment compensation system fairer and more consistent with other states.
We also helped members learn how to control their unemployment compensation costs by highlighting common mistakes small employers make both in the workplace and in the hearing process. They also heard from Eileen Melvin, one of three members of the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation Board of Review. Melvin said employers seeking to better control unemployment compensation costs should consider establishing employee policies, making sure these policies are known to employees, enforcing their policies in both an equitable and timely manner, and appearing at hearings (with people having first-hand knowledge of events).
Members also challenged state lawmakers to develop healthcare reform proposals that support small business -- the backbone of Pennsylvania's economy. NFIB healthcare task force co-chair Donna Partin and NFIB members delivered to lawmakers 10 principles that provide a foundation for healthcare reforms that meet the needs of small business owners, workers and their families.
"NFIB members want healthcare reforms that balance access to quality care, affordability, predictability and consumer choice," Partin told state officials.
Members of NFIB's tax advisory committee also met with lawmakers serving on the state Senate and House appropriations and finance committees. The NFIB members urged lawmakers to use the estimated $400 million state surplus to enact small business-focused tax cuts to help stimulate Pennsylvania's economy.
NFIB's small business tax priorities, include: repealing the state inheritance tax, reducing the state; adopting federal equipment depreciation rules and "Section 179" expensing guidelines; reducing the state Personal Income Tax and Corporate Net Income tax rates; restoring the scheduled phase out of the Capital Stock and Franchise tax and raising the small business exemption to the CSF tax.
