Tuesday's election results are unlikely to do much for small business, says Michael Ortner, co-founder of Capterra, an online marketplace for the business software industry.
"Not one of the issues directly affecting my business — and others of Capterra's size — is seriously being addressed by any prominent politician across the many elections," he writes in an article for
Real Clear Markets.
Ortner cites four major issues where there has been "virtually no progress in the past 15 years."
- A shortage of skilled workers in the technology industry. Workers who have garnered undergraduate or graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering or math here should be "fast-tracked to green cards and/or citizenship," he explains.
- Healthcare. "The federal government needs to make a decision: either healthcare expenses are taxable or they're not," he writes. "Treat everyone the same."
- Minimum wage. Abolish the federal minimum wage, Ortner says. "The hundreds of thousands of low income workers that it is intended to help would be much better served by other policies such as the earned income tax credits."
- Corporate income taxes. Eliminate them, he urges. "No other policy change would directly result in more jobs for Americans."
"I readily admit that my grievances and proposals are a bit aggressive, but I see no reason why these proposals should be considered partisan or divisive," Ortner states.
The
National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB)'s small business optimism index slipped to 95.3 in September from 96.1 in August.
That leaves the index 5 points below the pre-recession average that prevailed from 1973 to 2007. The decline stemmed from weak readings in job openings and planned capital outlays.
"Small businesses just can't seem to get out of second gear," says Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at NFIB. "Overall, small business owners are still stuck in a rut that has been difficult to escape."
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