Small businesses are the lifeblood of their local economies, infusing jobs, learning opportunities, culture and revenue into their communities. The Pennsylvania Chamber counts thousands of small businesses among its nearly 10,000 members and we’re proud to serve the best interests of these entrepreneurial champions as we work toward our mission of creating a better future and quality of life for every Pennsylvanian.
This month is National Small Business Month, encouraging us to recognize small business owners for the numerous ways they benefit our lives and livelihoods and thinking of ways we can provide them some extra assistance. In our communities, this comes in the form of patronizing businesses in the neighborhoods that small businesses serve each day. And for the PA Chamber, as the frontline advocates for the state’s business community it means asking how we might be able to lighten burdens that might be preventing small business owners from maximizing their growth potential or hiring new workers. According to recent polling from the U.S. Chamber, today’s small businesses are most concerned with the rising costs of inflation – which many are trying to cope with by raising prices, taking out loans or in some cases even decreasing staff.
As PA Chamber President and CEO Gene Barr recently said in a local TV news story, policies on the federal level need to be enacted that won’t make the inflationary situation worse. And at the state level, the PA Chamber is working with lawmakers to help offset these economic challenges on things we have more control over- like reducing high tax rates like the Corporate Net Income Tax rate. A reduction in Pennsylvania’s 9.99 percent CNI is being discussed in this year’s budgetary negotiations and the PA Chamber is stressing to lawmakers the positive impact that even a slight reduction in this number could have on our Commonwealth’s perceived business friendliness. With a friendlier tax climate comes more private sector investment, which generates brighter economic outcomes for the state as a whole – including the small business economy.
Our organization is only as influential as the support we have from our members and our partners. The Pennsylvania Chamber has built trusted relationships with local chambers of commerce over the years who know their communities – and the small businesses within them – best. These relationships proved essential in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when we were helping small businesses determine their eligibility to stay open, and it remains essential now as we work toward a brighter post-pandemic future. Next month, we’ll welcome our local chamber partners to the state Capitol for a special annual day of meeting with members of the General Assembly on pro-business issues because we realize that speaking as one voice strengthens the impact of our collective efforts.
To our valued small business partners, THANK YOU for the good you do for Pennsylvania’s communities, and please continue to reach out to us and to your local chamber partners for all of your business resource needs! Happy National Small Business Month!