State lawmakers from the Lafayette area have a better idea of problems facing small business owners.
They held a town hall meeting Thursday to get input on issues entrepreneurs are facing and feedback on current laws and regulations. Several business owners say the unemployment insurance system is stacked against them.
Representative Sharon Negele (R-Attica) says she’s realized the same thing with the small business she and her husband run.
“You do feel like you’re guilty before proven innocent, and that is frustrating as heck as an employer,” she says. “You feel like – hey, you’re providing these jobs, you’re providing this economic opportunity. Yet, you get slapped immediately.”
Besides unemployment insurance, several business owners agreed the county property assessment system is not fair or transparent. Others complained about the inequity in the state’s property tax cap law. They say those limits have caused the assessed values on their rental properties to go up, even though they’ve had to lower rents to bring in tenants.
Representative Sheila Klinker (D-Lafayette) agrees the tax caps need to be corrected.
“It is not a quick fix, because, unfortunately, we did put that in the (state) constitution, but we can address that and maybe fix it in certain areas,” she says.
Lawmakers who make up the Small Business Caucus say they’re hearing many of the same issues from business owners in other parts of the state. Legislation could be proposed in the next session of the General Assembly to address small business concerns.
Here is the remaining schedule of meetings to be conducted around the state:
September 5: Muncie and Anderson
September 10: Terre Haute and Vincennes
September 11: Evansville and Washington
September 17: Kokomo and Rochester
September 18: South Bend and Elkhart
For more information regarding the Small Business Caucus, or to make suggestions, contact h20@iga.in.gov.
