Hello, NFIB Member in Tennessee,
Tennessee is experiencing very good growth, as we’re seeing from various economic reports and surveys. Here’s a recap of recent news:
VISA ranked six Tennessee cities in its Top 50 metro areas for job growth:
7. Cleveland
8. Nashville
19. Morristown
28. Knoxville
29. Johnson City
33. Clarksville
Paychex said Tennessee continued last month as the No. 1 state for job growth among small businesses (3.7 percent) and the average wage rate was up 3.61 percent the past year, the third-biggest gain among the 50 states.
Tennessee jumped up to No. 5 in Economic Outlook and No. 15 in Economic Performance, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council’s “Rich States, Poor States” report.
Economist Art Laffer said, “[If] you want a good model for growth, look to Tennessee.”
CEOs polled in Chief Executive Magazine said Tennessee is the 7th best state for business.
How is this happening? My take is your engagement of policy makers is being heard loud and clear: Make sure taxes are low, avoid harmful mandates and unnecessary regulation, and balance the budget, and let business do its thing.
This doesn’t mean everything is perfect and more can’t be done. Our healthcare system must be reformed, and small business needs a more level playing field in taxation. It’s also often very challenging to start a business because of protective regulation and licensing, which especially impacts potential rural and inner city risk takers.
Be ready to jump in this summer and fall at the federal level, and in the 2018 session in Tennessee … Your voice matters, and it’s amplified as an NFIB member, joined nationally by 325,000 others and 7,000 like-minded friends in Tennessee.
Thanks, and have a great rest of the summer!
Jim Brown
Tennessee State Director
[email protected]
615.874.5288
