The National Federation of Independent Business/Florida (NFIB), the state’s largest small business association, announced their legislative wins for small business owners following yesterday’s close of the 2018 Legislative Session in Tallahassee.
“While high-profile circumstances appeared to dictate the tone of the 2018 Legislative Session, NFIB was able to ensure that small business issues remained top-of-mind for lawmakers,” said NFIB/Florida Executive Director Bill Herrle. “The role of small business owners as economic drivers is even more critical in times of statewide distress, so we were pleased to see that legislators were able to give small business owners the attention they deserve. As a result, we delivered some big wins for the small business community that will help them continue to create jobs, invest in their communities, and bolster our economy.”
Healthcare reform and a cut in the Business Rent Tax are just a few of the small business victories resulting from the session, which ended March 11.
“The passage of HB 37 on Direct Primary Care is representative of real healthcare reform and will remove the barriers that impede small business owners’ abilities to provide primary care benefits to their employees,” Herrle said. “More Floridians will be able to access primary care doctors at a fraction of the costs of traditional health insurance policies. Lower costs and greater access are two long-sought elements of healthcare reformers, and small business owners are excited to introduce this innovative healthcare delivery model to their employees.”
The $171 million tax cut package also featured a cut in the tax that business owners pay on their commercial leases.
“The .1 percent cut in the Business Rent Tax is a big achievement, and an indication that lawmakers understand how burdensome this tax is on Florida’s job creators,” Herrle said. “When you cut taxes for small business owners, that money goes back into their businesses and is used for growth, benefits, or job creation.”
Other big priorities that prevailed include protections for small business owners against business identity theft, a proposal to raise the vote threshold for future legislatures to raise taxes and fees on Floridians, and alterations to the office of the Taxpayer Advocate to provide for less red tape and more representation for taxpayers.
Click here for NFIB/Florida’s full post-session bill report.
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For Immediate Release
Contact: Kristen Butler, [email protected], 850-681-0416
