Fair Competition

Small businesses face increasing challenges competing with larger corporations due to consolidation and anti-competitive practices like predatory pricing, self-preferencing and unfair contracts. Our research shows many small business owners feel these disadvantages firsthand. This fact sheet outlines key barriers and policy solutions to promote fair competition and create a more level playing field for small businesses.

On March 5, Small Business Majority submitted a memorandum in support of New York's Consumer Grocery Pricing Fairness Act (S8563/A9212), which would enable small and mid-size grocers to access fair wholesale pricing, allowing them to compete and keep prices down.

On February 23, Eda Henries, Founder & Managing Principal of Henries and Co. gave testimony before the New York Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection about the need to protect small businesses from unfair and abusive lending practices.

On February 23, New York Director Lindsey Vigoda testified before the New York Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection, to emphasize the need to protect small businesses from unfair and abusive practices. 

On March 4, Small Business Majority Vice President, State Policy & Advocacy Awesta Sarkash sent a letter to the Minnesota House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee in support of HF 3794. This legislation would prohibit the use of surveillance pricing in connection with a consumer transaction.

To address the rising costs of debit card interchange fees, Small Business Majority recently joined a coalition of eight organizations to file an amicus brief in Corner Post v. Federal Reserve Board. The brief argues that the Federal Reserve’s implementation of Regulation II, which enforces the Durbin Amendment’s cap on debit interchange fees, fails to sufficiently protect small businesses and consumers from excessive interchange fees - allowing banks and debit card issuers to continue charging excessively high fees. 

On February 25, Small Business Majority Vice President, State Policy & Advoacy Awesta Sarkash submitted written testimony in support of SB26-041. This legislation would require greater transparency for healthcare mergers and acquisitions, and strengthen Colorado's antitrust laws to protect competition.

Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer sent a letter to President Trump outlining the state of small businesses ahead of the State of the Union address. The letter examines the stark reality facing Main Street: the dual pressures of skyrocketing healthcare costs and the direct consequences of sweeping tariffs and escalating immigration enforcement have made it increasingly difficult for small businesses to sustain and grow their operations. To provide immediate relief to Main Street, Mr. Arensmeyer urged the administration to adopt small business-friendly policies, which include ending sweeping tariffs, renewing expired healthcare premium tax credits that lower costs for marketplace participants, and halting disruptive immigration enforcement tactics that exacerbate workforce shortages.

Small business owners are at the epicenter of a growing national affordability crisis. The cost of starting and growing a small business continues to rise, from ballooning healthcare premium rates and rising childcare costs to inflated tariff rates impacting global supply chains.