FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: John Kabateck, California State Director, John.Kabateck@nfib.org
or Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, Anthony.Malandra@nfib.org

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Feb. 10, 2022—It’s time to put a real end to retail theft, one result from a survey of California small-business owners released today loudly says.

As it does every year, NFIB, the nation’s and California’s leading small-business association, polls its members on state and federal issues affecting their right to own, operate, and grow their businesses. Results from the annual polls help center NFIB’s lobbying positions in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C.

“More than 75% of our small-business-owning membership want something seriously done about retail theft,” said John Kabateck, California state director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). “That includes returning the dollar threshold on felony theft to its pre-Proposition 47 level. It’s time legislators back up their tough-on-crime poses with real action. Eliminating the business personal property tax on small businesses would end the inherent unfairness of a levy that is a form of double taxation (a sales tax was already paid on the acquired business personal property), and it must be paid whether a profit was made or not. It also contributes a negligible, if nothing at all, amount of revenue to local governments.”

This year’s NFIB State Member Ballot asked four questions:

Should the Legislature pass a law lowering the dollar threshold for a felony charge for theft back down to its prior $450 from the $950 that Proposition 47 boosted it to in 2014?
Yes 76%
No 20%
Und. 4%

Should California impose new taxes, assessments, or fees on motorists, shipping, or commercial and residential energy consumption to pay for infrastructure necessary to accommodate electric vehicles?
Yes 5%
No 91%
Und. 4%

Should California index unemployment benefits to economic conditions?
Yes 31%
No 44%
Und. 25%

Should California exempt certain small businesses from owing the business personal property tax?
Yes 73%
No 15%
Und. 12%

Keep up with the latest on California small-business news at www.nfib.com/california, where this release can also be read, or by following NFIB on Twitter @NFIB_CA or on Facebook @NFIB.CA.

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For 78 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since its founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB California
915 L. Street, Suite C-411
Sacramento, CA 95814
916-448-9904
www.nfib.com/CA
Twitter: @NFIB_CA
Facebook: @NFIB.CA