Small Businesses Struggle with Soaring Gas Prices: Will Dems Make it Worse?

April 11, 2012

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Shelley Adler (NJ-03), Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Jason Altmire (PA-12), Jeff Anderson (MN-08), George Badey (PA-07), Ron Barber (AZ-08), John Barrow (GA-12), Ami Bera (CA-07), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Kathy Boockvar (PA-08), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Lois Capps (CA-24), Ben Chandler (KY-06), Andrei Cherny (AZ-09), David Cicilline (RI-01), Tarryl Clark (MN-08), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Costa (CA-16), Mark Critz (PA-12), David Crooks (IN-08), John Delaney (MD-06), Val Demings (FL-10), Joanne Dowdell (NH-01), Tammy Duckworth (IL-08), Bill Foster (IL-11), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Pete Gallego (TX-23), John Garamendi (CA-03), Alan Grayson (FL-09), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Pam Gulleson (ND-AL), Clark Hall (AR-01), Brad Harriman (IL-12), Jose Hernandez (CA-10), Brian Higgins (NY-26), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Paul Hirschbiel (VA-02), Kathy Hochul (NY-27), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Q. Byrum Hurst (AR-04), Steve Israel (NY-03), Bill Keating (MA-09), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ-01), Larry Kissell (NC-08), Pat Kreitlow (WI-07), Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Nita Lowey (NY-17), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Larry Maggi (PA-18), Jim Matheson (UT-04), Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04), Gary McDowell (MI-01), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-09), Michael Michaud (ME-02), Joe Miklosi (CO-06), Brendan Mullen (IN-02), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Mark Murphy (NY-11), Rick Nolan (MN-08), John Oceguera (NV-03), Bill Owens (NY-21), Sal Pace (CO-03), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Scott Peters (CA-52), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Ciro Rodriguez (TX-23), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Lori Saldaña (CA-52), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Brandon Shaffer (CO-04), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), Louise Slaughter (NY-25), Betty Sutton (OH-16), Mark Takano (CA-41), John Tierney (MA-06), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Manan Trivedi (PA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-03), Christie Vilsack (IA-04), Bill Vinsko (PA-11), Jamie Wall (WI-08), Tim Walz (MN-01), Charlie Wilson (OH-06), John Yarmuth (KY-03)

Small Businesses Struggle with Soaring Gas Prices: Will Kissell Make it Worse?
North Carolina Democrat’s Party Leaders Proposing Energy Policies that Will Only Make Life Harder for Small Businesses and Consumers

WASHINGTON — A new survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows that small businesses are being seriously hurt by soaring gas prices, and Larry Kissell’s out-of-touch Democrat leaders in Washington are only offering policies that will make prices even worse. With small businesses in North Carolina and across the country forced to scale back and raise prices for consumers under increasing pressure from rising gas prices, will Kissell join his Democrat leaders in making the problem even worse?

“Larry Kissell’s Democrat leaders in Washington are vigorously promoting energy taxes that will make gas prices even higher, putting anti-energy political donors before struggling small businesses,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “Will Kissell provide a real all-the-above American energy solution or will he continue to follow the failed Washington Democrat policies that have seen gas prices double since President Obama took office?”

Rising gas prices are a top concern for small businesses, which are being forced to raise prices on consumers as a result:

“An increasing number of firms cited inflationary pressures as ‘the number one business problem’ and 21% of owners said they plan to raise the prices of their goods or services in the coming months, the survey found.

“‘The higher fuel cost appears to have already trickled down, placing pressure on small businesses in charging more for their goods and services,’ said Leslie Levesque, an economist with IHS Global Insight.” (Eric Morath, “Small-Business Owners Less Upbeat,” The Wall Street Journal, 4/10/12)

Despite these difficulties, Washington Democrats are campaigning on higher taxes for energy producers which will raise prices even higher and increase energy dependence:

“The Administration estimates that the tax changes outlined in the budget proposal would provide $22.8 billion in revenues over the period 2012 to 2016, and over $43.6 billion from 2012 to 2021. These changes, if enacted by Congress, also would reduce the tax advantage enjoyed by independent oil and natural gas companies over the major oil companies. On what would likely be a small scale, the proposals also would make oil and natural gas more expensive for U.S. consumers and likely increase foreign dependence.” (Robert Pirog, “Oil and Natural Gas Industry Tax Issues in the FY2012 Budget Proposal, Congressional Research Service, 3/3/12)

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