Franchising is the real economic stimulus plan. That’s an idea we’ve shared with you on this blog recently. Following on, the IFA recently released its five point plan for reviving the US economy. There are a lot of interesting ideas here for the Government to take on board, including a call for the creation of a small business franchising coordinator within the Department of Treasury.
The five points, fleshed out here, are as follows:
Increase Amount of Credit Available by Strengthening Secondary Markets – the government should authorize the TARP passed in November to expand purchases of SBA loan pools.
Increase Access to Capital through Changes to SBA Loan - Programs President Obama should use the emergency disaster loan program to help small-businesses get short-term access to capital.
Remove Tax Uncertainties and Inequities for Small Business – calls for permanent solution to the death tax plus an extension of the capital gains tax rate of 15%.
Make Small Business Health Insurance More Affordable – small businesses need a helping hand from the government to assure that they can provide health care to employees.
Support Veterans as Small Business Owners – as this blog has expounded, military veterans make up a significant cluster of franchisees but more needs to be done to encourage them to turn to entrepreneurship.
Many of these points have been raised here on this blog and in a number of other small-business related journals, blogs, and magazines. Hearing the IFA articulate these ideas gives this talk more credence and urgency.
What other suggestions might you make if you had Tim Geithner’s ear for an afternoon?