National

Small Business Majority released a scientific opinion poll that found small business owners and their employees are impacted by a lack of access to high-quality, affordable child care. Further, the poll showed that a majority of small businesses support expanding federal programs to increase access to child care through both direct federal assistance and expanded tax credits to help working families struggling with the cost of child care.

Small Business Majority released a scientific opinion poll that found that the majority of women-owned small businesses believe that insurance companies should be required to include contraceptive coverage in their health plans. Further, the poll found women entrepreneurs view access to reproductive healthcare as critical to their ability to start their business.

Small Business Majority scientific opinion polling found small businesses favor the Affordable Care Act over the Republican replacement plan, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by a 2:1 ratio.

Small Business Majority released a scientific opinion poll on small business owners’ attitudes regarding tax reform. While current proposals are being sold as a boon for small businesses in a struggling economy, small business owners are in fact generally optimistic about the economy and rate healthcare, rather than taxes, as their top concern. Further, small business owners want Congress to prioritize making the tax system fair for small businesses over tax cuts.

Small Business Majority released a national scientific opinion poll—including oversamples in five states—that found small business owners oppose denying services to LGBT customers based on religious beliefs, rights to free speech or freedom of artistic expression. Further, the poll showed that a majority of small businesses support enacting federal and state laws to protect LGBT individuals from discrimination in places of public accommodation. Small business owners feel that nondiscrimination policies are good for their state’s business climate and their own business’s bottom line.

Scientific opinion polling found small business owners think predatory lending practices are a problem, and they overwhelmingly support stronger regulations on alternative lenders to ensure they have safe, responsible access to capital.

As small business owners prepare to close the books on 2012, our country is fast approaching the edge of what’s been dubbed the “fiscal cliff.” This critical situation—created by a host of tax cuts set to expire at the end of 2012, coupled with billions of dollars in automatic spending cuts that will be triggered if Congress and the president can’t agree on a way to reduce the deficit by year’s end—has dire consequences for small businesses. Many of the tax provisions set to expire benefit small businesses and the middle class, small businesses’ core customer base.