Louisiana State Victories
The following NFIB victories will make a real difference for your business.
Recent NFIB/Louisiana victories:
Helped pass tax breaks for Hurricane Katrina/Rita victims
NFIB helped pass legislation to exempt manufacturing machinery and equipment purchased to replace such equipment destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and/or Rita from the 4 percent state sales tax on that equipment and helped pass income tax and franchise tax breaks for storm victims.
Helped pass legislation to keep unemployment compensation cost from skyrocketing
NFIB helped pass legislation to prevent increases in unemployment compensation required under law due to the high unemployment experienced in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina/Rita.
Defeated minimum wage increase, keeping payroll costs down and protecting jobs
Such legislation would have cost employers $2,000 per year in higher wage costs for minimum wage employees and put similar pressure on wages for those who earn more than the minimum wage.
Stopped costly health-insurance mandates
NFIB led the fight to kill two costly health-insurance mandates that would have increased the cost of health-insurance premiums.
Eliminated authority for fee on utility bills
NFIB helped pass legislation to remove the authority for a fee to be attached to utility bills by the Public Service Commission. The money collected would be used to help the poor pay their utility bills. It was self-serving by the utility company plus it was a way to finance consumer advocacy groups through the "administrative costs" of the program.
Passed flexible insurance policy legislation
NFIB/Louisiana led the fight to allow insurance companies to offer cheaper, mandate-free health insurance policies to individuals and small employers, which could save many employers $300 to $800 per year on each employee's health insurance.
Stopped costly health insurance mandates
NFIB/Louisiana led the fight to pass a five-year moratorium on the passage of any new mandated health insurance coverage. This moratorium will help slow the premium hikes faced by small businesses that provide health insurance for employees. Mandates have been estimated to add anywhere from 5 to 20 percent to the cost of health insurance.
Health insurance mandate moratorium passed
NFIB led the fight to pass a five-year moratorium on the passage of any new health insurance mandated coverage. Mandates (like requiring coverage for the treatment of substance abuse or morbid obesity) contribute to the double-digit hikes in health insurance premiums. Legislators who are NFIB members propelled the bill to victory. Mandates have been estimated to add anywhere from 5-20 percent to the cost of health insurance.
State minimum wage bills killed
NFIB member contacts with state legislators helped to kill several bills that would have implemented a state minimum wage that would be $1 higher than the federal minimum wage. Such legislation would have cost employers $2,000 per year in higher wage costs for minimum wage employees and put similar pressure on wages for those who earn more than the minimum wage.
Stopped local minimum wage ordinances
Contacts by NFIB members with their legislators played a key roll in killing legislation to allow local governments to pass minimum wage ordinances requiring higher minimum wages than those required under federal law. This is especially important in New Orleans where such an ordinance was passed, but was then struck down by the State Supreme Court. Such ordinances could have spread across the state if the bills had passed, causing chaos in the job market, as different local governments could have had completely different minimum wage requirements.
Phased out corporate franchise and sales taxes for manufacturing items
NFIB helped pass legislation to phase out the 4 percent state sales tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment. Once the tax is completely phased out it will save a small manufacturing, farming or fishing business $4,000 on the purchase of $100,000 of manufacturing machinery and equipment. NFIB also helped pass legislation to phase out the corporate franchise tax on debt. Once fully implemented, a small business with $100,000 in debt in its corporate franchise tax base will save $1,500.
Helped elect three pro-business candidates to Congress
NFIB's federal Political Action Committee endorsed three candidates during the 2004 election year for seats in the U.S. House and Senate. All three endorsed candidates won their races. The federal PAC is comprised of NFIB members who reviewed the voting records of incumbents and those seeking office for the first time, the PAC examined the candidate's responses to an NFIB questionnaire regarding small-business issues and voted to endorse candidates who best exhibited strong support for small business. Our endorsements process includes monetary support to the candidate's campaign, NFIB members volunteering for campaigns, generating publicity regarding our endorsement and grassroots activism help generate votes.
VICTORY: NFIB played a key role in the coalition that brought New Orleans' recently-passed minimum wage ordinance to court and had it declared unconstitutional -- a huge win that validated legislation NFIB helped pass a few years ago outlawing local minimum wages.
VICTORY: On behalf of its members, NFIB helped defeat two onerous tax proposals: one would have created a statewide taxing district to levy a 3 percent excise tax on all telecommunications services; the other would have attached a $1.7 billion hydrocarbon processing tax to the Stelly Tax Plan
VICTORY: NFIB was instrumental in defeating a huge new $1.72 Billion "Louisiana Business Tax." Really a Value Added Tax, the new tax would have decimated economic development by hiking your taxes every time you hired a new worker, gave a raise or granted a new employee benefit, or borrowed to expand your business. Only Michigan has a similar tax, and they are phasing it out.
VICTORY: NFIB helped to defeat efforts to curtail or eliminate your inventory tax credit. Few other states even allow an inventory tax. NFIB and other business interests had fought long and hard for the inventory tax credit as a way to keep Louisiana businesses competitive with those in neighboring states.
VICTORY: NFIB played a strong role in passing legislation to prohibit local minimum wage laws. This was in response to a New Orleans effort to pass a minimum wage far in excess of the national minimum wage. In spite of the passage of this legislation, there are efforts again in New Orleans to pass a higher local minimum wage.
VICTORY: NFIB played a key role in tort reform efforts that repealed your exposure to punitive damages in suits involving the handling, storage, and transportation of hazardous materials. Under previous decisions, materials as mundane as ink, hay, paint and hundreds of other common materials found in your business and almost any other Louisiana business could have been termed hazardous.
In an effort to limit plaintiff attorneys' search for someone with "deep pockets" to sue, NFIB helped to pass legislation that requires that defendants in a lawsuit pay only for the percentage of damages for which they are responsible. As a defendant, under previous law, you could have been required to pay for up to 50 percent of the damages even if others were responsible for those damages, but could not pay.
NFIB/Louisiana was instrumental in defeating a huge new $1.72 Billion "Louisiana Business Tax." Really a Value Added Tax, the new tax would have decimated economic development by hiking your taxes every time you hired a new worker, gave a raise or granted a new employee benefit, or borrowed to expand your business. Only Michigan has a similar tax, and they are phasing it out.
NFIB/Louisiana helped to defeat efforts to curtail or eliminate your inventory tax credit. Few other states even allow an inventory tax. NFIB and other business interests had fought long and hard for the inventory tax credit as a way to keep Louisiana businesses competitive with those in neighboring states.
NFIB/Louisiana played a strong role in passing legislation to prohibit local minimum wage laws. This was in response to a New Orleans effort to pass a minimum wage far in excess of the national minimum wage. In spite of the passage of this legislation, there are efforts again in New Orleans to pass a higher local minimum wage.
NFIB/Louisiana played a key role in tort reform efforts that repealed your exposure to punitive damages in suits involving the handling, storage, and transportation of hazardous materials. Under previous decisions, materials as mundane as ink, hay, paint, and hundreds of other common materials found in your business and almost any other Louisiana business could have been termed hazardous.
In an effort to limit plaintiff attorneys' search for someone with "deep pockets" to sue, NFIB/Louisiana helped to pass legislation that requires that defendants in a lawsuit pay only for the percentage of damages for which they are responsible. As a defendant, under previous law, you could have been required to pay for up to 50 percent of the damages even if others were responsible for those damages, but could not pay.
