Small business owners say it’s time for the presidential candidates to provide concrete details on how they’ll tackle key issues including taxes, health care costs and government regulations.
The Associated Press reports that the sentiment among three-quarters of the business owners surveyed by Wells Fargo is that presidential candidates haven’t given enough specifics on how they plan to help American small businesses and entrepreneurs.
In the survey of 600 business owners released last week, most said they planned to vote in November, and that taxes and the economy topped their list of concerns.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have talked about cutting taxes, including the personal rates that sole proprietors and members of a partnership pay.
On his campaign website, Trump promises to cut the tax rate for companies big and small to 15%. Clinton vows to provide “targeted tax relief ” to small business, and make it easier to start and grow a business.
Bernie Sanders’ proposals are aimed at raising taxes on wealthier people; those with income of $250,000 would see their tax rates rise. He also wants to raise taxes on large corporations.
The candidates have also made general promises on other issues that affect small businesses. But when asked for more specifics about how he’d help small businesses, Trump’s campaign issued a general statement and referred a reporter to the candidate’s website. The Clinton and Sanders campaigns did not respond to repeated emails seeking comment.
The candidates will have to start talking in details to win the support of owners, the survey suggests.
“They love being able to say that they’re for the small business owner, or at least they pretend to,” says Ernesto Miranda, co-owner of Walker-Miranda, an architectural design based firm in Dallas. “A lot of things that I see are a little bit more lip service. I would like to see more concrete plans.”
