Center for Small Business
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The Center for Small Business focuses on improving the state’s small business climate through researching and analyzing ways to improve the taxation and regulation of small businesses in order to encourage economic development. Since 2001, WPC’s Small Business Center has held conferences, roundtables and forums to help educate small business owners, as well as glean policy recommendations from those that make up the economic backbone of the state economy. |
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Small Business Publications | Small Business Blog
Lead the Way: Small Business & the Road to Recovery
It is a known fact that small businesses often lead the way out of economic downturns. But for a variety of reasons the Great Recession is providing small businesses extra obstacles to recovery. However, there are steps that policymakers in Washington state can take to help alleviate some of the burden that the small business community is undertaking. "Lead the Way: Small Business & the Road to Recovery" contains 24 specific policy priorities from small business owners who attended WPC's 2009 Statewide Small Business Conference. This report is a tool for policymakers to guide them as they craft policies to help improve our state's business climate.
State taxes due to rise in 2010, hurting small business recovery
On Dec. 11, 2009, Gov. Christine Gregoire announced she intends to seek tax increases of 54 percent in 2010 in Unemployment Insurance rates.
No sooner had the dust settled from the Governor’s announcement than the state’s Employment Security Department announced that Unemployment Insurance taxes for the state’s employers are going up in 2010.
Read the full op ed in the Snohomish County Business Journal here
Study: Tax Increases Threaten More Job Losses in Washington
The Biz Coach quotes Carl Gipson, Center for Small Business Director
Read the article at The Biz Coach here
2009 Statewide Small Business Conference
Small business owners, legislators,andpolicymakers from all overWashington gathered in SeaTac on Tuesday, November 10th, to discuss the state's business climate at Washington Policy Center's 2009 Small Business Conference. During several interactive issue breakout sessions, business owners suggested and discussed solutions to improve the climate for small businesses in Washington. Co-sponsored by nearly 50 businesses, trade associations, and chambers of commerce across the state, this was the fourth statewide small business conference hosted by WPC since 2003. The conference featured a morning Legislative panel, as well as breakout sessions on important policy topics that affect small business owners, from access to health care, to business taxes, to regulatory reform, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation and more. These breakout sessions provided opportunities for those in the audience to offer recommendations and vote on their favorite ideas. These ideas will then be passed on to state policymakers prior to the 2010 Legislative Session.
Read more, see pictures, videos and more here >>
Help Grow the Economy by Repealing the Estate Tax
The tens of thousands of owners of Washington family businesses know all too well the sacrifices required to build a successful enterprise that can reinvest in new jobs and expanded work opportunities for people in the community.
These business owners also know that their hard work, in the end, might be for naught, and that when they die their families may have to sell the business to pay federal and Washington state estate taxes.
The government requires payment of estate taxes following a death, demanding, in the case of business owners, a large percentage of the combined value of all family and business assets, including homes, cars, savings accounts, retirement accounts, business equipment, inventory, buildings, land and more.
Citizens’ Guide To Proposition 4 In Spokane
“Community Bill Of Rights”
This November, voters in the city of Spokane will vote on a Community Bill of Rights ballot measure. The measure, promoted by a community action group called “,” seeks to amend the Spokane City Charter to either expand current entitlement programs or institute new ones.
The measure would codify rights for various entities. Also referred to as the “,” the measure is a first of its kind in the United States. The aim is to use government authority to guarantee the legal right of every citizen to a sustainable and locally-based economy, affordable preventative medical care, affordable housing, and affordable and renewable energy. The bill would also assign legal rights to the natural environment and to neighborhoods so that communities could determine their own futures. The proposal would direct how workers would be paid, how many apprentices must be employed, and that union rights are mandatory in the workplace.
Read the full Policy Note here (PDF)
Carl Gipson testifies on House Bill 1617
Carl Gipson, director of the Center for Small Business, testified before the House State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee on House Bill 1617, which would require legislative approval of significant agency rule-making. The bill would also require up to a one year waiting period from the time the agency passed a new rule until the rule is implemented. His testimony begins at the 10 minute mark.
Requiring Specific Legislative Authority for Agency Rule-Making Would Help Washington Businesses, by Carl Gipson Director, January 2009
Business Rankings Once Again Declare "All is Well with Washington." Not so., by Carl Gipson, January 2009
Regional Small Business Forums Wrap up; More than 600 Gathered to Discuss Issues across Washington
Over the past several weeks Washington Policy Center has held Small Business Forums in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Bellevue, Wenatchee, Tacoma, and Vancouver. We've been holding these forums for three years and 2008 brought the most participants ever!
Read more and watch the videos here>>
24 Ways to Improve the State's Small Business Climate
Last November, several hundred small business owners convened at Washington Policy Center’s Statewide Small BusinessConference to discuss and rate policy recommendations in order to improve the state’s small business climate. Eight breakout sessions sought small business owners’ feedback on policy proposals in access to affordable health care, transportation, tax reform, workers' compensation, eminent domain abuse, data security, streamlined sales tax, and the state's new paid family leave program.
At the core of “24 Ways to Improve the State’s Small Business Climate” are small business owners’ top three recommendations in each of these policy areas.
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The Center for Small Business
Since 2001, the Center for Small Business has focused on improving Washington's small business climate by providing public policy recommendations from small businesses to policymakers. The Center provides accurate information and analysis on the state's regulatory climate, tax structure, health insurance systems, transportation infrastructure, and more. The Center holds conferences, issue forums, legislative briefings, and testifies before the state legislature by invitation. In order to provide the public with timely research the Center publishes studies, Policy Notes, opinion editorials, and Legislative Memos.
Director Carl Gipson
Carl Gipson is Director for Small Business, Technology and Telecommunications at Washington
Policy Center. He was formerly Director of Communications and Operations and regularly writes opinion pieces, legislative memos, policy notes, and is the author of Reviving Washington’s Small Business Climate, 24 Ways to Improve Washington’s Small Business Climate, A Citizen’s Guide to Initiative 920 — the Estate Tax, and other publications. He has been published in several papers across the state including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Tacoma News Tribune, Everett Herald, Washington CEO magazine and the Puget Sound Business Journal and regularly speaks to chambers of commerce and other civic groups. He was a columnist for The Daily Olympian in 2003 and received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Western Washington University in 2001.
Contact Information
For questions or for more information from the Center for Small Business please
e-mail cgipson@washingtonpolicy.org.
