Pat Meehan Tours Ridley Park Businesses

RIDLEY PARK, PA -Pat Meehan, the Republican candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, took a walking tour today of the Ridley Park Business District to meet with small business owners, workers, and local residents.  

During his visit, which occurred during National Small Business Week, Meehan discussed with local business owners and residents how the current economic situation is impacting their operations, employment, and budgets, as well the need to boost consumer spending and provide some relief for the small business community. 

"Small business owners are the major economic driver of our nation, accounting for 60 to 80 percent of new jobs created in the past ten years," said Meehan.  "We need to work to identify opportunities to help struggling small business owners weather the economic storm and begin creating jobs.  But we also need to understand how some of the policies being proposed in Washington and Harrisburg are hampering our economic recovery."

During his visit, Meehan highlighted his support for a 6 month payroll tax holiday to enable small businesses to invest more in their business, put money into the hands of consumers, and provide relief to those small businesses struggling to meet payroll in the current economy.  A recent study by the NFIB cited spending weakness and lack of sales as the major economic problem confronting small business and inhibiting job creation.

"A temporary payroll tax holiday will bring broad based relief to communities across the country, including small business owners here in Ridley Park that have not been the direct beneficiaries of bailouts and stimulus packages," said Meehan.  "It will also put more money directly into the hands of ordinary Americans to spend as they see fit, providing a much needed jumpstart in consumer spending that will benefit small businesses." 

Meehan was joined on the tour by State Representative Nick Miccarelli, Ridley Park Borough Council Chair Bob Berger, and Danielle Kerins, President of the Ridley Park Business Association.   

Meehan also discussed the need to reign in the federal budget, noting that the U.S. Chamber estimates that current federal budget proposals call for roughly half a trillion dollars in new business taxes over the next 10 years. 

"Our top priority should be to truly reign in spending, not imposing new taxes and regulations on businesses already struggling to stay afloat in the current economy," said Meehan.  "These types of proposals - and the uncertainty they create in the small business community - stifles investment by businesses owners to expand their business or hire new employees." 

According the American Enterprise Institute, growing deficit spending and the escalating national debt also means that less capital will be available to businesses. Many financial experts have also warned that the skyrocketing national debt will result in rising inflation rates which will also hamper our economic recovery.

Meehan took the opportunity to highlight a recent proposal in Harrisburg supported by his opponent, state legislator Lentz that would repeal the 1 percent vendor allowance provided to small businesses to help defray the administrative costs of collecting the Pennsylvania sales tax.  (Source: House Committee on Appropriations Roll Call vote on HB 2435, May 4, 2010).

A coalition of business organizations including the National Federation of Independent Business, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, the Pennsylvania Retailers Association, and the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association recently wrote to legislators noting that the repeal "would have a direct negative impact on many businesses' bottom lines."

"As we struggle on the national and state level to create jobs and help small businesses weather the storm, policymakers in Washington and Harrisburg continue to send small business owners mixed messages," said Meehan.  "Legislators like Lentz cannot continue to look to the small business community as an easy target for new government revenues to pay for increased government spending.  This type of attitude stifles the very investment and growth by small businesses that are needed to help our nation through this economic recovery."   

Meehan noted that a bipartisan outcry from Democratic and Republican legislators - and the small business community - ultimately prompted Lentz and his fellow Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee to abandon this stealth tax on small businesses that would have cost Pennsylvania businesses tens of millions of dollars annually..  But Meehan expressed concern that Democrats like Lentz could resurrect the idea as budget negotiations continue in Harrisburg.