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ICYMI: Small Businesses Turning up the Heat on Capitol Hill

May 17, 2012 | Press Release | #Stop The HIT, #Health Insurance Tax, #Florida
From Stop The HIT

Washington, D.C. (May 17, 2012) – Small businesses are putting the pressure on lawmakers to join efforts to stop the job-killing Health Insurance Tax (HIT) while attending the Small Business Summit hosted by the National Federation of Independent Business in Washington, D.C. this week.

In an op-ed in the Tallahassee Democrat, Bill Herrle, executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business in Florida, explains his plans to address the burdens facing Florida's independent business community in his meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Specifically, he cites, “Keeping up with increasingly complicated taxes and regulations requires valuable time and resources, which cuts into profits and productivity…The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the $87 billion health insurance tax included in the Affordable Health Care Act will result in up to a quarter of a million jobs being lost by 2021. Nearly 60 percent of those jobs will come from small businesses.”

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Time for Congress to Add a HIT Repeal to Obama’s “To-Do List”

May 16, 2012 | Press Release | #Health Insurance Tax, #President Obama
From Stop The HIT

Washington, D.C. (May 16, 2012)— Today, President Obama will visit a Washington small business to discuss number three on his five-point Congressional “to-do list” – tax credits for firms that create new jobs or increase wages.

As the Health Insurance Tax (HIT) looms, threatening to cost jobs and decrease wages, small business owners across the country are asking the President and Congress to add a repeal of the HIT to their “to-do list.”

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Health Sector Is Hurting--With or Without Obamacare

May 16, 2012 | Article | #small business, #Health Insurance Tax, #Stop The HIT Coalition
By Kenric Ward | Sunshine State News

...In the meantime, a national coalition of small businesses is turning up the heat on Capitol Hill this week.

National Federation of Independent Business spokeswoman Amanda Austin said, “Now, more than ever, we need to remove the restrictions and high costs that burden small businesses, cripple their bottom lines and drastically impact their ability to hire and expand.”
 
Targeting the Health Insurance Tax, due to take effect in 2014, NFIB estimates the federally imposed levy would cost employees and the self-employed $87 billion a year.
 
If no action is taken, NFIB says the HIT will:
  • Affect more than 2 million small businesses and 26 million employees who are covered by their employers.
  • Reduce the take-home pay of an average employee with a family plan by $500 a year.
  • Cost the United States up to 250,000 jobs and $30 billion in lost sales nationally by 2021.

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Bill Herrle: Regulations crush small businesses

May 15, 2012 | Article | #small business, #Health Insurance Tax, #Florida
By Bill Herrle | Gannett

Keeping up with increasingly complicated taxes and regulations requires valuable time and resources, which cuts into profits and productivity. Each year, small businesses around the nation spend about 2 billion hours on tax compliance, at a cost of up to $19 billion. That's not the taxes they pay — it's the paperwork preparing them.

Health-care costs are just as burdensome. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the $87 billion health insurance tax included in the Affordable Health Care Act will result in up to a quarter of a million jobs being lost by 2021. Nearly 60 percent of those jobs will come from small businesses. Additionally, early this year the Supreme Court reviewed the constitutionality of the president's plan. Until the court's decision is issued later this year, Florida's small businesses won't know whether the law will remain intact, be ruled unconstitutional or be thrown out altogether. That creates real uncertainty.

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Small Businesses Urge Lawmakers to Repeal Health Insurance Tax at D.C. Summit

May 14, 2012 | Press Release | #small business, #Stop The HIT, #Health Insurance Tax
From Stop The HIT

Washington, D.C. (May 14, 2012) –This week, small business owners are gathering in Washington, D.C. for the National Federation of Independent Business’ Small Business Summit to engage with policy makers on the issues that matter to their bottom line  like the Health Insurance Tax (HIT).  The Stop The HIT Coalition is arming participants with materials to use in their meetings with Members of Congress to urge them to co-sponsor current legislation to repeal the looming tax.

“This year’s summit should serve as a reminder to lawmakers that small businesses, the number one creator of private sector jobs, will bring us out of this recession,” said Amanda Austin, National Federation of Independent Business Director of Federal Public Policy. “Now, more than ever, we need to remove the restrictions and high costs that burden small businesses, cripple their bottom lines and drastically impact their ability to hire and expand.”

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Small Businesses Key to Economic Success in Georgia and Nationwide

May 10, 2012 | Blog Posts | #small business, #Health Insurance Tax, #Georgia
From Stop The HIT

May is National Small Business Month and serves as a strong reminder of the critical role small businesses play in the growth and success of our nation’s economy. Small businesses are the nation’s number one provider of private sector jobs and provide quality goods and services, revenue and jobs both locally and nationally every day.

Unfortunately, there is an imminent threat on the horizon that could severely hinder small businesses and their ability to contribute to the economy and job market. The Health Insurance Tax (HIT) will cost small business owners nationwide $87 billion by the end of this decade, $208 billion by the end of the next. The threat of the unnecessary and burdensome cost of the HIT is already taking its toll on small businesses, crippling them with uncertainty resulting in a decreased desire to invest in future business expansion and job creation. In fact, according to a recent Gallup poll, 85 percent of small businesses have no plans to hire in the near future, with potential healthcare costs as one of the main reasons why.

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Small Businesses Urge President Obama to Address Threatening Tax in New York

May 08, 2012 | Press Release | #Health Insurance Tax, #President Obama, #New York
From Stop The HIT

Washington, D.C. (May 8, 2012)—Today, as President Barack Obama addresses the economy at the State University of New York, the country’s leading job creator—small businesses – are hoping he will signal relief from the looming Health Insurance Tax (HIT).

The HIT, included as part of healthcare reform, takes effect in 2014 and costs small business owners nationwide $87 billion dollars by the end of the decade and $208 billion by the end of the next. The threat of the HIT is already causing great uncertainty among small businesses. In a recent Gallup poll, 85 percent of small business owners surveyed were not hiring, with nearly half of those citing potential healthcare costs as the reason why.

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April Job Numbers Reiterate Need to Repeal the Health Insurance Tax

May 08, 2012 | Blog Posts | #jobs, #Health Insurance Tax, #Unemployment
From Stop The HIT

The U.S. Department of Labor announced Friday that national unemployment for the month of April fell only slightly to 8.1 percent, with even more Americans dropping out of the workforce and only 115,000 jobs added. The disappointing report only emphasizes the difficulties small businesses are currently facing within these uncertain economic times, leaving them with little confidence to expand business operations or hire new workers, especially with the job-killing Health Insurance Tax (HIT) still on the horizon.

The jobs report for April is yet another indication that small businesses, the nation’s number one provider of private sector jobs, simply cannot afford the HIT. At a time when unemployment is so slow to show true signs of improvement, Washington should be providing support to create an environment conducive to small business growth and success instead of placing yet another obstacle in the way of job creation, threatening the future of our nation’s small business community, job market and economy.

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Small Businesses Urge President Obama to Address Threatening Tax in New York

May 08, 2012 | Press Release | #Health Insurance Tax, #President Obama, #New York
From Stop The HIT

 

Washington, D.C. (May 8, 2012)—Today, as President Barack Obama addresses the economy at the State University of New York, the country’s leading job creator—small businesses—are hoping he will signal relief from the looming Health Insurance Tax (HIT).
 
The HIT, included as part of healthcare reform, takes effect in 2014 and costs small business owners nationwide $87 billion dollars by the end of the decade and $208 billion by the end of the next. The threat of the HIT is already causing great uncertainty among small businesses. In a recent Gallup poll, 85 percent of small business owners surveyed were not hiring, with nearly half of those citing potential healthcare costs as the reason why.
 

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Slowing economy makes many small businesses unwilling to hire new employees or expand

May 02, 2012 | Article | #small business, #jobs
By Joyce M. Rosenberg | The Associated Press

Ken Levien has no plans to hire more people for his real estate project management company in New York. He says his business has only about 85 percent of the amount of work it can handle because the building industry is still hurting from the recession.

"Things are looking down in the construction business in New York City," he says.
 
Levien has a lot of company. Many small business owners aren't hiring or expanding because the outlook for the economy, or their own companies, is uncertain.
 
That raises the question of whether small businesses will give the economy the boost that it needs. Economists say that in past recoveries, small companies were the first to hire. When the economy was improving, they were more nimble than large companies because they didn't have the bureaucracy that can slow the hiring process. Their hiring helped propel the economy forward.

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STH on Twitter

Thanks to @RepLarryKissell for his support of #SmallBiz and H.R. 1370 aimed at repealing the Health Insurance Tax http://t.co/Snknf3E2

Tweeted by StopTheHIT about 9 hours ago

Health Insurance Tax will cost the U.S. up to 250,000 jobs by 2021, repealing the tax should be #1 on #CongressToDoList http://t.co/qR4BNgIn

Tweeted by StopTheHIT 2 days ago

Unless repeal of the HIT is added to #CongressToDoList, @Taylor_Gourmet could sell fewer Spruce Street subs! http://t.co/N3XP6fiS

Tweeted by StopTheHIT 2 days ago

.@BarackObama discusses need to invest in #SmallBiz, but the HIT will cripple their ability to expand http://t.co/qR4BNgIn #CongressToDoList

Tweeted by StopTheHIT 2 days ago

American jobs will be lost unless the Health Insurance Tax #HIT is repealed. Must add to #CongressToDoList http://t.co/qR4BNgIn

Tweeted by StopTheHIT 2 days ago