Nicole Riley, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, released the following statement today in response to Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s proposed state budget amendments:
“Governor McAuliffe is trying to nickel-and-dime small business to death. Proposals such as the governor’s call for small businesses to submit sales-tax collections to the state sooner and to increase numerous fees on small retailers may sound small by themselves, but they would add up quickly and squeeze the very businesses the governor needs to create jobs.
“Our members are also disappointed by the governor’s call to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
“Despite what the governor says, expanding Medicaid won’t cure Virginia’s ills. The governor’s plan would, in fact, make things worse for Virginia’s small-business owners, their employees and their families.
“Our small-business members have looked at this issue from every perspective and believe expanding an underfunded, cumbersome and poorly administered program like Medicaid would be irresponsible. The bottom line is this: Does anyone really believe that Washington will continue to pick up 90 percent of new costs after 2020?
“With the federal government facing trillions of dollars in debt, it seems unlikely that Washington will keep its promise. That means Virginia’s entrepreneurs and small-business owners will be on the hook for any budget shortfalls resulting from Medicaid expansion.”
NFIB/Virginia is the commonwealth’s leading small-business association with over 5,000 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy.
