More Than 2,000 Small Business Owners tell Congress: Extend Middle Class Tax Cuts but Let Breaks for High Earners Expire

Washington, D.C. Today, members of Congress received a letter signed by more than 2,000 small business owners from across the country urging them to keep taxes low for middle class Americans, but to let cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent expire at the end of the year in light of our current budget crisis.

To read the letter and view the signatures, visit http://www.smallbizformiddleclass.com/.

The letter, which was signed by small business owners nationwide after being circulated by various advocacy groups including Small Business Majority, stated that consumer demand is at the top of small business owners' wish list this holiday season, and that lawmakers can help by extending tax cuts for middle class Americans, which will do more to increase spending power and consumer demand than anything else right now. The letter asked lawmakers not to hold the middle class cuts hostage to cuts for those in the top two tax brackets, which include only 3 percent of small businesses and 2 percent of all Americans.

I gladly signed the letter to let politicians know the most important thing for my business right now is ensuring my customers, who are mostly middle class folks, have the means and the confidence to continue using my services, said Trish McCabe, owner of Feng Shui By Design in Winter Park, Fla. Every small business owner I know makes most business decisions based on consumer demand. If that demand isn't there because our customers don't have as much spending power, that's going to hurt us all.

The letter kicks off a week of media events being held across the country with elected officials and small business owners, who will speak about the need for Congress to extend the middle class tax cuts but allow those on high-income earners to lapse. Opinion polling Small Business Majority released in November found an overwhelming majority of small employers are aware of the ongoing fiscal showdown and are very concerned. The poll also found that small employers favor extending the middle class tax cuts but believe letting tax breaks expire for the wealthiest 2 percent is the right thing to do given our current budget crisis.

Organizations that participated in this effort include Small Business Majority, MoveOn.org and Center for American Progress.

In a separate letter sent today to the White House, more than 75 small business owners from Western states signed a letter urging lawmakers to protect public lands during and after fiscal cliff negotiations, as these natural assets are essential to small businesses financial success and that of the local economies. Read the letter here.