SMALL BUSINESS HOPING GOVERNOR BRANSTAD WAS MIS-QUOTED
The
following comments may be attributed to the National Federation of Independent
Business (NFIB) Iowa State Director, Kristin Failor in response to Governor
Branstad’s outlandish suggestion that mandating a minimum wage increase in Iowa
will somehow improve our economic climate:
To say that
I was disappointed with the Governors remarks would be a vast
understatement. The last thing that Iowa small businesses need to contend
with is yet another government mandate increasing the cost to do business.
Minimum wage jobs have never been the engine to feed a family and the fact that
the Governor has succumbed to the progressive notion that an increase will
somehow improve our economy is dumbfounding.
Employers
that want to pay higher than the minimum wage already do. Those that cannot
afford to pay more will be driven out of business and when they close up shop,
they’ll take the jobs they were offering our community with them. Instead of
focusing on job killing measures like increasing the minimum wage, Iowa
lawmakers should take a look at reducing state regulations and improving the
tax structure so that small businesses can be afford to pay their employees
more, without the government dictating the amount.
