FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Ashley Ranslow, NFIB NY State Director; 518-742-0425 (cell), Ashley.Ranslow@nfib.org

ALBANY (April 8, 2022) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), New York and the nation’s leading small business organization, released the following statement today by NFIB State Director Ashley Ranslow in reaction to the Legislature’s passage of the fiscal 2023 state budget:

“NFIB has long called for the passage of small business tax cuts, and applauds the Governor, Senate, and Assembly for getting that done in this year’s budget, as well as gas tax relief, financial assistance programs, and tax credits for hard-hit small businesses. However, this budget completely ignored small businesses’ calls for action on sky-high Unemployment Insurance tax bills.

“For more than a year, NFIB has been urging New York State to use federal pandemic aid to address its $9 billion UI debt and lower the state’s massive UI tax bills being levied on small businesses at this very moment. New York State’s public policy decisions on COVID shutdowns and restrictions, not independent business decisions, led to mass layoffs. Instead of the state stepping up to the plate, elected leaders are leaving small businesses on the hook. With a staggering $220 billion budget, it’s unconscionable that there isn’t a single cent dedicated to Unemployment Insurance tax relief. The small business tax credits and programs being hailed by lawmakers are sorely diminished by New York’s inaction on UI, and the devastating UI tax bills will continue growing as the state stands by and does nothing.”

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For more than 75 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 nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses, and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.