Kyle Jackson, Georgia state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, released the following state this morning in response to talk among some in the General Assembly of raising taxes in order to fund Georgia road improvements:
“When you talk about small business, you’re talking about Main Street, but NFIB/Georgia members understand you can’t get to Main Street without good roads and bridges. Our members understand that Georgia needs good roads in order to transport goods and help businesses grow and prosper.
“Our members are also concerned by any discussion of raising taxes or imposing new fees on small businesses. Our members still haven’t recovered fully from the Great Recession, and there’s a real concern that at least some legislators might try to shift the cost of fixing Georgia’s roads onto the backs of small business.
“One of the things that separates the National Federation of Independent Business from other groups is that our positions are determined by our members. One member, one vote. Once the General Assembly has a clearer idea of how it might go about funding any improvements to the state’s infrastructure, NFIB/Georgia will ballot its members to see where they stand.
“NFIB/Georgia takes a lot of pride in Georgia’s ranking as the No. 1 state for business. We can’t lose sight of that. Other states are following our lead in terms of cutting taxes on job creators. Transportation is a critical issue, but we can’t afford to improve our roads and bridges by wrecking a tax system that encourages small businesses and large corporations to grow and expand and create jobs.”
