The New York Small Business Coalition is a diverse group of business organizations, representing businesses of all sizes around New York State. The coalition aims to educate lawmakers about the realities and effects of the affordability crisis in New York, particularly regarding employee health insurance for small and local businesses. Coalition members include Small Business Majority.
Small Business News
Sandra Payne, president of Denver Concrete Vibrator, figured her company was already paying some sort of tariff because some items her company needs came from China, Canada and Mexico, where its supplier sources steel, aluminum, rubber hoses and a variety of other items the family-owned company uses to build equipment used to strengthen concrete. But she never knew how much. Tariffs hadn’t shown up on a bill — until Monday. “It was perfect timing,” Payne said during a small business panel on tariffs hosted by the World Trade Center Denver on Tuesday. “It was 25% for this product.
This week, John Arensmeyer, CEO of Small Business Majority, assesses what he sees happening in Washington. Arensmeyer, who recently took a group of business owners to Capitol Hill where they shared their concerns with Democrats and Republicans alike, says the chaos and uncertainty President Trump has unleashed are a disaster. Along with the tariffs and indications that the economy is slowing, Arensmeyer notes that the proposed cuts to the ACA and Medicaid -- while not generally seen as a business issue -- will have a bigger impact on small businesses than many realize.
Members of that coalition include The New Mexico Center on Poverty and Law, Small Business Majority and AARP New Mexico.
John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority, a small business advocacy group, told the Washington Examiner that his organization conducted a survey of small businesses and found that raising the corporate rate from 21% to 28%, as former President Joe Biden proposed, actually got a better response than lowering it to 15%. “The corporate rate in and of itself is not as big an issue for most small businesses because they don’t pay it, but when they look at the overall tax code, it does.
Small Business Majority Colorado Director Hunter Nelson stated, “Any changes that make healthcare more expensive could have a potentially devastating impact on Colorado’s small businesses. After payroll, healthcare coverage is already the highest cost for small firms.
A separate survey by the Small Business Majority found 53% of small businesses are concerned tariffs will negatively impact their business and 77% are concerned tariffs will negatively impact the economy. “Tariffs are my biggest concern right now,” said Margo Clayson, founder and president of supply store The Mighty Microgreen in Inkom, Idaho, in a news release. “I source everything I can locally, but some materials — like plastics — are simply not affordable in the United States."
John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of advocacy group Small Business Majority, warned earlier this month that the Trump administration's actions had left the organization "deeply worried." "Directives to halt all federal funding will make it impossible for small businesses to access critical loans and grants," Arensmeyer added.
The Small Business Tax Fairness Coalition, a partnership between Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority, is bringing in more than 30 small business owners for a tax fly-in that kicks off today. The group has meetings scheduled with roughly 60 different offices or committee staff, including member-level meetings with Senate Finance ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Sen.
Dozens of small business owners from the Small Business Tax Fairness Coalition, which was launched by left-leaning business groups, are coming to D.C. on Tuesday and Wednesday for meetings with lawmakers on tax. Members of the group plan to pitch members and aides on a $25,000 standard deduction for small businesses, rather than the 20% deduction for pass-through firms from the 2017 tax law.