The University of Chicago business school has a panel of 40 prominent economists who periodically answer questions. It is a wonderful sample of economists and gives a very reliable measure of economic thought.
Recently the panel of economists was asked whether “The federal government would make the average U.S. citizen better off by using policies that directly focus more on increasing small business growth than growth of economic output overall.” The answer was: 73% said ‘no’.
I would also say emphatically ‘no’. I have worked with well over 1000 small businesses.
The problem is that there is nothing in particular in federal government policy that stands in the way of successful a small business. Individual locales have very hostile policies toward small business and many zoning regulations are detrimental to small business but these are not federal issues.
Most small business people do not pay federal taxes on their income until the business is successful. So federal taxation is not automatically a problem.
Regulations are a perennial problem for small businesses but the main issue is that the small business doesn't have the time, resources or professional services to cope with these regulations that larger businesses can afford. It is hard to identify all of these regulations, tens of thousands, and modify them for small business.
The national associations of small businesses are a farce. So are small business lending and support organizations inside the federal government.
I would hate to see any of these absurd bureaucracies used as advisors on small business issues.
In summary, the federal government cannot do anything to help small businesses. Anything that could be done would help all commerce to thrive and that is a tall order of business.
What helps commerce thrive is the subject of this blog. Major issues concern expanding international trade, reducing the power of unions and standardizing many commerce related legal issues across the entire American continent.
Recently the panel of economists was asked whether “The federal government would make the average U.S. citizen better off by using policies that directly focus more on increasing small business growth than growth of economic output overall.” The answer was: 73% said ‘no’.
The problem is that there is nothing in particular in federal government policy that stands in the way of successful a small business. Individual locales have very hostile policies toward small business and many zoning regulations are detrimental to small business but these are not federal issues.
Most small business people do not pay federal taxes on their income until the business is successful. So federal taxation is not automatically a problem.
Regulations are a perennial problem for small businesses but the main issue is that the small business doesn't have the time, resources or professional services to cope with these regulations that larger businesses can afford. It is hard to identify all of these regulations, tens of thousands, and modify them for small business.
The national associations of small businesses are a farce. So are small business lending and support organizations inside the federal government.
I would hate to see any of these absurd bureaucracies used as advisors on small business issues.
In summary, the federal government cannot do anything to help small businesses. Anything that could be done would help all commerce to thrive and that is a tall order of business.
What helps commerce thrive is the subject of this blog. Major issues concern expanding international trade, reducing the power of unions and standardizing many commerce related legal issues across the entire American continent.