Small business owners skipped the party last week.
It was declared National Small Business Week by President Obama, who was overseas on business.
But small-firm owners, credited by the president with creating two out of three new private-sector jobs, were angry.
“Pro-business laws are needed out of Congress, not policies that crush the mom-and-pop entrepreneur,” Molly Brogan, vice president at the 65,000-member National Small Business Association in Washington, told The Post. “We would rather they do that than issue a press release about small business,” she said.
Some major complaints Brogan highlights:
* ObamaCare’s unknown costs: Owners with 50 employees or fewer are exempt. But Brogan says that’s based on a complex formula, and owners must even include affiliated businesses. “We’ve an attorney on staff who’s even baffled by parts of it,” Brogan said. Ironically, the president boasted: “We are implementing the Affordable Care Act so small businesses can make quality, affordable health insurance available to all their employees.”
* $16 trillion-plus national debt: It’s crimping consumer and business confidence. “And besides, while interest rates are very low right now, if Congress doesn’t start to do something on the debt soon, those rates are going to skyrocket,” said Brogan.
* Small business loans: “It’s eased a bit, but it’s still really tough because the credit-limit standards have gone up so high,” Brogan said. What’s more, banks review the small-business owner’s personal credit score — often a double whammy, she adds, since countless consumers have seen their scores deteriorate in this economy.
“We need lawmakers at all levels to stop using the 30-second sound bite, saying they are here to create jobs, to help small business,” said Michael Durant, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business lobby.