On the recordJanuary 19, 2011
With unemployment in Michigan at over 12 percent, I am not going to support a bill that raises taxes on small businesses. Let us be clear. Voting for the Patients' Rights Repeal Act will eliminate the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. Small businesses have faced outrageous increases in their health care costs over the past decade. This tax credit helps reduce that burden and is already making a real difference. The L.A. Times reported that small businesses are signing up for health care coverage for their employees, despite the bad economy, since the tax credit took effect. Among firms with three to nine employees, there has been a 46 percent increase in the number offering health benefits. But this bill would put a stop to that. The Detroit News reported that last week more than 126,000 small businesses in Michigan would lose the tax credit under this bill. The last thing that small businesses in Michigan and across the country need right now is higher taxes. But that's exactly what this bill would deliver. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote 'no' and join me in standing up for our small businesses.
