New Poll Finds Small Business Owners Want Long-Term Solution to Debt Ceiling
Scientific opinion poll released today shows the majority of small business owners believe there should be a long-term solution to the debt ceiling so politicians can't hold the economy and U.S. credit rating hostage to particular spending priorities
Washington, D.C. Scientific opinion polling released today shows the majority of small businesses want a long-term solution to the debt ceiling so the U.S. can pay its bills and the issue doesn't come up for political votes over and over again, thus jeopardizing our country's credit rating. The poll, which found a 55 percent majority believe there should be a long-term solution, versus a 36 percent minority who disagreed, comes the same day the House of Representatives is set to vote on a short-term debt ceiling measure. The House measure would temporarily suspend the debt ceiling limit for four months, at which time Congress would once again debate increasing the limit.
I would really like to see a long-term solution to the debt ceiling issue, said Mike Roach, owner of Paloma Clothing in Portland, Ore. These stopgap measures are wreaking havoc on our economy. They affect consumer confidence and allow politicians to hold the economy hostage every few months. Lawmakers need to work together on a lasting agreement to give our economy some stability so small business owners like myself have the certainty we need to move forward.
This finding supports previous opinion polling that found small business owners are more interested in fixing the economy than wrangling over the deficit. That poll found that by a 5:4 ratio, small employers believe a plan to create more jobs is the most important task for Congress and the president over the next year, compared to a plan to reducing the deficit.
Small businesses clearly do not want Congress to revisit the debt ceiling debate over and over again, said John Arensmeyer, founder & CEO of Small Business Majority. Small employers want a lasting solution to our country's fiscal challenges so that they have the economic certainty they need to thrive. With a long-term debt ceiling solution in place, lawmakers will be able to focus on small businesses top priority, job creation.
To read the entire poll visit: http://www.smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/taxes/
About Small Business Majority
Small Business Majority is a national small business advocacy organization, founded and run by small business owners to focus on solving the biggest problems facing America's 28 million small businesses today. Since 2005, we have actively engaged small business owners and policymakers in support of public policy solutions, and have delivered information and resources to entrepreneurs that promote small business growth and drive a strong, sustainable economy. We are a team of more than 30 working from our 11 offices in Washington, D.C. and 9 states, with a network of more than 45,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 business organizations, along with a formal strategic partnership program of more than 125 business organizations, enabling us to reach more than 500,000 entrepreneurs. Our extensive scientific polling, focus groups and economic research help us educate and inform policymakers, the media and other stakeholders about issues including taxes, healthcare, access to capital, entrepreneurship, workforce development, clean energy and immigration.