FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUSTA, ME (Jan. 26, 2025) – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business advocacy association, released the following statement by NFIB State Director David Clough ahead of the annual State of the State Address to be delivered by Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday:

“Unsurprisingly, many Augusta politicians cannot stop trying to find new ways to increase Mainers’ tax burden,” said NFIB’s Maine state director, David Clough. “As Governor Mills delivers her final State of the State Address, Maine’s small business owners hope that however she proposes to deal with budget pressures, she will not support tax increases on small business earnings, as most small business earnings are taxed at the individual income level. NFIB also looks to Governor Mills to continue her support for fully conforming to federal Section 179 equipment expensing rules for small business. That helps firms modernize and improve services for customers.”

“NFIB also hopes that Governor Mills will preserve Maine’s Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit, which enables small businesses to reduce their tax burden based on qualified expenses and improvements within the state. Finally, Maine’s small business owners need Governor Mills and our legislators to recognize that added payroll costs, whatever the spending scheme, undermine the ability of small businesses to survive and provide jobs and opportunities.”

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For over 80 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.