As most of you know from reading the local news, the business community is in a bitter battle this General Session with several tax exemption elimination bills on the way to Governor Ritter. Yesterday, one of our small business members told me that it would cost his company $85,000 and he would have to lay off two employees. So much for job creation.
Our lobbyist, RJ Hicks, sent an email reply the other day to explain why these bills are so detrimental to the business community and that the business community DOES support education. Here are his words of wisdom.
“The short answer to your question is that if business does not lose their tax credits and exemptions, the General Assembly will be looking for that money from somewhere. We could offer some ideas, but these measures for the most part will pass. The Chamber’s point of view is that business is reeling now, job losses have been substantial, unemployment continues at levels at or above 8%, and businesses have had to cut back on many expenditures including health care for their employees and other benefits as well. What I think is missed sometimes is that business is what makes the whole system work. Without jobs and healthy businesses, revenues go down and everyone in the food chain suffers- state-county-local governments.
Therefore school funding suffers. Business has been assessed over one billion in new fees from the 2009 legislative session on top of the economic woes we have been facing. So we have been asked several times to pay our share. The Chamber supports education, always has and always will. We need an educated work force and K-12 delivers that work force.
Tough times for all, but we must also look at setting realistic priorities for our government. We have to start to say we will focus on good schools, higher education, better roads, and workable safety net for social issues. But after that, we need to start making tough choices on what we fund. This cannot be business as usual. The Chamber also supports fixing the budget mess caused by our competing constitutional issues.
Unless we can find some real leadership to begin to tackle that issue, we will end up a sub-par state always settling for second best.”
Join our business advocacy efforts and check out www.jeffcobusinesslobby.org for more information.
Much success in business,
Amy Sherman
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