NFIB State Director Rosemary Elebash says Alabama small business owners are getting relief from growing credit card swipe fees after lawmakers approved legislation backed by NFIB.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Small Business Rundown, Elebash said many small business owners were shocked to learn they could be forced to collect sales taxes on credit card transaction fees even though no law had ever been passed requiring it.

“One of the things I learned when this conversation really started, [is] that business owners now say that credit card fees are their third largest expenditure,” Elebash said on the podcast.

Elebash said she spoke with one Alabama small business owner who pays about $43,000 a year in credit card transaction fees. “That is a salary for another employee in that small town,” she said.

NFIB worked with lawmakers and a coalition of business groups to pass legislation preventing the collection of sales taxes on credit card transaction fees, she said, calling the measure “a huge win for small business owners in Alabama.”

During the podcast, Elebash also urged Congress to support the federal Credit Card Competition Act. She said that 99.4% of Alabama businesses are family-owned small businesses.

“Small business owners need this relief,” she said.

The episode also featured NFIB Small Business Legal Center Executive Director Beth Milito and NFIB Director of Federal Government Relations Josh McLeod discussing ongoing state, federal, and legal efforts to reduce swipe fees for small businesses nationwide.