NFIB State Director in Connecticut, Andy Markowski, released the following statement today following Gov. Ned Lamont’s State of the State Address on the first day of Connecticut’s legislative session.

“Small business owners across the state are cautiously optimistic as the 2022 legislative session kicks off” said Andy Markowski, NFIB State Director in Connecticut. “The Governor and legislative leaders set the right tone in their speeches today, and now small business owners will anxiously await to see what policies ultimately pass this session”.

“While we are encouraged that Connecticut’s fiscal outlook remains positive right now, our small business owners are asking lawmakers to ensure that any tax relief includes small businesses, and that the state government maintains fiscal prudence for the long term.”

There is no doubt the past few years have been filled with angst and uncertainty for small business in Connecticut and around the country.  Small business is still recovering from the unprecedented health and economic crisis of 2020, not to mention battling ongoing federal government mandates and proposed tax increases. Sky-rocketing costs of goods and services, supply chain disruptions and record inflation are proving to be consequences that aren’t going away anytime soon. These challenges have created an unprecedented workforce shortage and a continued financial burden for small business around the country and in Connecticut.

According to NFIB’s latest survey, out yesterday, 22% of our small business owners report that inflation was their single most important problem. Another recent NFIB survey found that the recent COVID-19 surge has negatively impacted nearly 70% of small business owners and that nearly half have experienced a significant impact from supply chain issues.

Below are NFIB’s key priorities for Connecticut’s 2022 legislative session:

• Tax relief that includes small business owners, including the property tax and the pass-through entity tax
• “Do No Harm” to small businesses, which means no additional employer mandates; instead, legislative action must focus on helping small business owners recover from the pandemic
• Build upon last year’s funding to the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund debt in order to prevent future cost increases to our small business owners. You can find out more about the issue and how it could impact our hard working owners here.