Maine State Victories
The following NFIB victories will make a real difference for your business.
Recent NFIB/Maine victories:
Saved small businesses $100 annual fee per tax return filed
NFIB/Maine led the fight against the governor's budget proposal to impose a $100 yearly fee for each annual information tax return filed with the state by pass-through businesses (S-corporations, LLCs, partnerships), which would have affected about 28,000 of these businesses in Maine. The overall savings is valued at up to $2.8 million a year to small business.
Fought paid family leave legislation, saving some employers an average of $247 per employee
NFIB led the fight against paid family leave legislation that would have mandated that full-time workers in businesses with 15 or more employees be provided with at least 3.3 hours of paid time off for each four-week period the employee worked. The cost of this sick leave mandate would have varied. Small firms with more than 15 employees but with no paid sick leave would have had to pay over $247 per employee in added payroll expenses.
Won state tax deduction for health savings account contributions
Reports and testimonials are in. Health savings accounts are working! And instead of taxing HSA contributions, Maine business and individual taxpayers can now take a deduction just as they do on federal income tax returns.
Won personal property tax exemption for new equipment of most businesses
NFIB joined with other business groups in successfully supporting the elimination of the personal property tax on business equipment bought and placed into service after April 1, 2007. Businesses will be exempted from paying the personal property tax on this equipment. Also, existing equipment that qualifies for the Business Equipment Tax Reimbursement (BETR) program will continue to be eligible for tax reimbursement under that program.
Advocated flexible workers' compensation insurance payments to MEMIC
NFIB was a leading advocate of the Maine law that permits customers of MEMIC to use a payment plan for premiums instead of having to pay a lump-sum amount, affording business owners flexibility that coincides better with their cash flow.
Saved employers an average of $247 per employee in sick leave expenses
NFIB led the fight against paid family leave legislation. One proposal would have required all employers with 15 or more workers to allow employees to use paid time off (e.g., sick leave, vacation leave) for family leave. As a result of NFIB actions the proposal that became law was amended to exclude businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
Defeated paid sick leave requirement
NFIB helped defeat a proposal that would have required the use of paid sick leave for paid family leave and, for employers of more than 15 full-time workers, the proposal would have mandated that employees be provided with at least 3.3 hours of paid time off for each four-week period the employee worked. The cost of this would have varied depending on an employer's specific situation. Small firms could have had to pay over $247 per employee in added payroll expenses.
VICTORY: NFIB/Maine is opposing legislation to create a paid family leave entitlement program for employees as well as legislation that would create a new sales tax, either as a sales tax on services or a tax on gross receipts by all businesses.
VICTORY: NFIB/Maine is supporting legislation that would cap the growth of state spending and require a super-majority vote for new or higher taxes
VICTORY: NFIB helped block proposals - benefit increases, employer-paid attorney fees of claimants, wrongful death lawsuits - that rollback major cost-saving workers compensation reforms.
VICTORY: NFIB helped lead business opposition to a substantial build up of unemployment taxes and, instead, successfully back a plan that could lead to reduced taxes in 2002 instead of 2003.
VICTORY: NFIB led the successful effort to adopt legislation that creates a special state commission to handle complaints of unfair state government competition against the private sector.
2000:
Government Competition: NFIB crafted a law to establish a panel to review unfair governmental competition complaints.
Unemployment Fund: NFIB led successful opposition to high unemployment fund reserves.
Self-employed Health Insurance: NFIB persuaded lawmakers to support full retroactive conformity with the federal tax deduction of self-employed health insurance costs.
Wage Taxes: NFIB successfully opposed local option sales or wage taxes.
Mental Health Insurance: NFIB persuaded lawmakers against extending the mental health insurance benefit to small group policies.
Snack Tax: NFIB supported the successful repeal of the snack tax effective on Jan. 1, 2001.
1999:
Weekly Pay: NFIB supported the successful effort to rewrite, modernize 1911 law.
Workers' Compensation Rollback: NFIB members helped block attempts to increase workers' compensation costs.
Unemployment Insurance Tax Hike: NFIB helped trim a proposed $153 million tax hike to about $75 million, cutting next year's increase from $26 million to $13 million.
Sales Tax Cut: NFIB members supported the successful effort to reduce sales tax to 5 percent.
1998:
Taxes: NFIB helped defeat a new unemployment tax system and $12,000 taxable wage base.
Workers' Compensation: NFIB opposed costly workers' compensation legislation that was defeated or vetoed.
Minimum Wage: NFIB opposed a minimum wage increase that was vetoed by the governor.
Overtime: NFIB opposed a first-in-the-nation law limiting overtime that was vetoed by the governor.
1997:
Workers' Compensation: NFIB members helped block proposals to roll back reforms and return to a more costly workers' compensation.
Services Sales Tax: NFIB members successfully opposed a broadening of the tax to virtually all services and amusements.
Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Solvency: NFIB successfully lobbied for attention to long-term solvency of the fund. A special study group will report in January on this issue.
Utility Deregulation: NFIB advised the Public Utilities Commission and the Committee on Utilities to ensure that small business interests were considered in developing and passing legislation revamping the electric utility industry.
Health Insurance: Legislation was defeated which would have established benefits for prostate cancer screening.
1996:
Health Insurance: NFIB successfully helped pass legislation to allow small businesses to join together in voluntary health purchasing alliances that offer members the option of a catastrophic health care plan. NFIB helped defeat a bill that proposed to implement a single-payer health care system in the state.
Paperwork Reduction: NFIB was a key advocate of legislation that will allow employers to file only one form when reporting payroll information to the state Department of Labor and the Bureau of Taxation.
Workers' Compensation: NFIB was a key supporter of legislation allowing small businesses to pay their workers' compensation premiums on a payment plan, rather than in one lump sum.
Limited Liability Partnerships: The Maine legislature passed NFIB-supported legislation that will allow limited liability partnerships, a legal form of business organization that will be beneficial to many Maine small businesses.
