State Director Natalie Robinson talks about the latest NFIB small business poll.
NFIB State Director Natalie Robinson and NFIB member Ty Spatta of Axis Painting spoke with Abdul Hakim-Shabazz of Indy Politics about small business concerns and the climate of Indiana’s economy with
Spatta’s small business, Axis Painting, a paint contractor, located outside Bloomington, told Shabazz that similar to the findings in NFIB’s recent survey, he is still struggling with inflation, supply chain issues, and problems hiring workers.
Spatta says most of his customers are hiring his small business for smaller projects and staying away from big ticket items. He thinks it’s because they are worried about inflation – he certainly is. Spatta has had to raise prices on customers several times over the past few years so he could pay his employees more because he knows they are also dealing with inflation
Supply chain issues have also factored into Spatta’s decision to raise his prices. Spatta says the cost of paint has gone up so frequently that he calls his supplier once a week to double check prices since he says they’ve been raised unexpectedly so many times before.
Robinson says there are two outstanding issues after this legislative session that are also impacting small businesses in a negative manner. Eliminating the business personal property tax, which disincentivies small businesses from purchasing equipment. Robinson said Indiana has strong budget reserves and urges legislators to take the opportunity to elminate or increase exemption.
The second issue is residential property taxes. As the assesed value of property in Indiana continues to rise, Robinson says legislators need to take action. Last legislative session, a proposal was introduced but ultimatley failed to cross the finishline.
