SOTU Reaction from the National Association for the Self-Employed
Small Business Community Stands Ready to Work with President Obama
Econintersect: The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) issued a statement immediately following the State of the Union (SOTU) address Tuesday night (12 February 2013). The statement was a call for action following the president’s call for improvement in policies to support small business.
The need for supporting entrepreneurial and small business activity was echoed as an objective by Florida Senator Marco Rubio who gave the official response for the Republicans.
The National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE) is the nation’s leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, bringing a broad range of benefits to help entrepreneurs succeed and to drive the continued growth of this vital segment of the American economy. The NASE is a 501(c) (6) nonprofit organization and provides big-business advantages to hundreds of thousands of micro-businesses across the United States. For more information, visit the association’s website at NASE.org
Here is the complete press release by the National Association for the Self Employed:
After President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union Address, Kristie Arslan, president and CEO of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), the nation’s leading resource for the self-employed and micro-businesses, insisted the president’s agenda include a robust plan for the small business community saying “the small business community stands ready to work with President Obama”.
“I applaud the president for outlining an ambitious economic agenda to tackle our nation’s challenges,” said Kristie Arslan, president and CEO of the National Association for the self-Employed (NASE). “By working together, we can rebuild our economy with a stronger middle class supported by a thriving small business community. A true example of how we can effectively work together was the recent announcement of the new home office tax deduction filing option. As hard-working Americans, we go to work, represent the entrepreneurial spirit of our nation while contributing and improving the economy. The voices of the small business community will be crucial to advancing the national agenda and rebuilding the economy.”
The government recently announced it would offer a new, streamlined home office tax deduction filing option for the small business community. The nation’s small business community must be supported by not only sound economic policies for existing businesses to thrive and expand, but also self-employment training assistance and micro-lending programs that can help foster the creation of new businesses. These small business priorities include:
- Implementation of new health care reform law taxes;
- Reform of both the individual and corporate tax structure;
- Reinstatement of the self-employment tax deduction on health insurance;
- Expansion of the Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs);
- Access to credit for small businesses;
- Implementation of Self-Employment Assistance programs in all 50 states.
“As a self-employed business owner, I need a supportive economic environment to grow and expand my business,” said Tiffany Y. Washington of Washington Accounting Services, Inc., an NASE member. “There are many steps the federal government can take today to help small businesses like mine. The president and our elected leaders in Congress must not forget the 22-million self-employed and micro-businesses, the smallest businesses helping fuel our nation’s economy at all levels.”
In a preview to the president’s speech, Arslan today authored a blog post that outlined the policy priorities of the small business community on Huffington Post.
Editor’s note: Econintersect principals have repeatedly cited government imposed bureaucracy as an impediment to small business start-up and expansion. This is clearly what the NASE is talking about as well. We will be waiting (somewhat skeptically) to see what specifics in this area will be attempted and what can actually be accomplished. The SOTU address contain no specifics in this area, nor did the official Republican response or any of the post address discussion we have heard so far. And then there is the fact that many bureaucratic inhibitors come from state and local laws for which federal legislation or actions will have little impact.
