Senators Join Franchise Businesses to Support Pro-Growth Policies

By: International Franchise Association | 7 Shares 67 Reads

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2011-Members of the International Franchise Association joined Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for a press conference yesterday to discuss burdens that policies being pushed by some Democrats and the administration are placing on franchise businesses' ability to sell more franchises, hire workers and grow the economy.
"Franchise small businesses need government to get out of the way in order to continue creating jobs at the rate they have historically," said IFA President & CEO Steve Caldeira. "We applaud Senate Minority Leader McConnell for echoing that message and urge the administration and all members of Congress to develop bipartisan, pro-growth solutions that help franchise businesses to create jobs."

"The government itself is the problem now," said McConnell. "We have to allow the private sector to do what it does best which is to to grow, expand, and create jobs."
"In recent years, one of the reasons I have not sought to grow is uncertainty surrounding the health care laws," said David Barr, Chairman of PMTD Restaurants LLC and its affiliates (a franchisee of KFC and Taco Bell) and Rita Restaurant Corp. (the owner and operator of Don Pablo's Mexican Restaurants). "Obamacare will force me to either decrease employees or move workers from full-time to part-time employees to avoid paying penalties."

Unless Congress repeals or significantly changes the health care law, 3.2 million full-time employees and tens of thousands of franchise businesses will be at risk of losing their jobs, according to a recent report prepared by Hudson Institute for the International Franchise Association.

"All of my business income is needed to continue to grow and create jobs," said Gail Johnson, CEO of Rainbow Station, which is a franchise that offers nationally accredited early childhood education and school age recreation programs. "Taking away income from small business owners like myself through a tax increase is quite simply a job smasher."

IFA has urged Congress to consider permanent, comprehensive tax reforms that encourage job creation by franchise businesses, but that also do not hurt small businesses and franchises that file as individuals. Click here to view IFA's recent letter to Senators.

"Small businesses that want to grow and have a track record of success should be able to get loans from lenders, said Bob Dorfman, a Five Guys multi-unit franchisee with 9 stores in Tampa, Fla., 10 stores in Columbus, Ohio, 14 stores open in Houston and South Texas, and a commitment with Five Guys to open and operate 103 total stores. "Lenders should be free from overregulation and scrutiny that's unnecessarily holding back job creation.

Over 82,000 new jobs and over $10 billion in economic output will be lost in 2011 as a result of lack of credit flow to franchised small businesses, according to the IFA Small Business Lending Matrix & Analysis, Vol. 3.

"We have heard today that the rules and the regulations coming out of Washington are making it harder and more expensive for the private sector to create jobs," said Barrasso.
"Let's listen to the job creators and create an environment where they can go out and Americans can do what they have done better than anyone in the history of the world," said Rubio. "They haven't forgotten how to go out and start a business. These people haven't run out of good ideas. They just need a government that makes it easier for them to go out and do that and not harder."

About the International Franchise Association

The International Franchise Association is the world's oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA works through its government relations, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising. Through its media awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the economic impact of the franchise industry, which supports nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic output for the U.S. economy. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.

Contact:
Alisa Harrison, 202-628-8000
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
aharrison@franchise.org
mhaller@franchise.org
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