Passage of Small Business Jobs Act a Huge Win

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NSBA applauds the House's prompt approval of the Small Business Jobs Act today. Offering various tax incentives, a much-needed small business lending fund and numerous other pro-small-business provisions,  the legislation stands to be of great assistance to America's struggling small businesses. Among the various provisions is the incredibly-important but less-talked-about language that will make health insurance more affordable for the nation's self-employed.

"Seemingly absent in discussions over this bill is the fact that it will end a major tax inequity which forces the self-employed to pay an additional 15.3 percent tax on the cost of their health insurance," stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. "For years, this unfair penalty has been a thorn in the sides of millions of self-employed individuals, and we applaud its inclusion in this bill."

The Small Business Jobs Act will allow self-employed individuals to fully deduct the cost of their health insurance from their self-employment taxes for 2010. Currently, self-employed individuals are prohibited from fully deducting the cost of their health insurance from their self-employment taxes, resulting in an additional tax that no other worker or business owner is forced to pay.

Additionally, the Small Business Jobs Act includes myriad avenues that will benefit small businesses, including: improved access to capital via small- and mid-sized community banks and through the extension of the highly-successful SBA stimulus lending programs; meaningful tax breaks such as an extension of the bonus depreciation and expanded Section 179 expensing; strengthening of the SBA Office of Advocacy - the regulatory watch-dog for small business within the federal government; an improved federal marketplace for small-business contractors; and enhanced exporting opportunities for small businesses.

"This bill offers a broad array of initiatives that will help America's small businesses," stated Larry Nannis, chair of NSBA and shareholder at Levine, Katz, Nannis + Solomon, PC. "And it comes not a moment too soon."

Since 1937, NSBA has advocated on behalf of America's entrepreneurs. A staunchly nonpartisan organization, NSBA reaches more than 150,000 small businesses nationwide and is proud to be the nation's first small-business advocacy organization. For more information, please visit www.nsba.biz.

SOURCE National Small Business Association