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While Amazon ostensibly advocates for postal reform, it has engaged in two types of anticompetitive conduct that threaten the solvency of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and evidence a desire to extend and perpetuate its dominance over e-commerce. First, Amazon has lobbied to combine mail and parcel delivery under one cost center, thus obscuring the latter’s contribution to institutional costs. Such a policy would allow Amazon to conceal the uneconomic pricing it receives under the Parcel Select program, the USPS ground bulk package “last-mile” delivery service that Amazon and other parcel shippers use.…continue reading →

All over the country, families are beginning preparations for the holiday season. Many who run their own shops or depend heavily on small businesses will make shipping arrangements for a variety goods, gifts, marketing items and other important materials and resources all throughout their communities. Unfortunately, for many American consumers and business owners, it will cost more than it ever has to use the United States Postal Service (USPS) because of unfair deals that the USPS strikes with large shipping partners like Amazon. These deals lock in below-market rates for certain companies, making…continue reading →

As part of the Family Business Coalition’s (FBC) mission to protect family businesses, FBC began looking into the success of the Paycheck Protection Program. After passage of the CARES Act, our team helped a number of multi-generational family businesses, across a broad group of industries, understand the ins and outs of the newly created Paycheck Protection Program, including the accompanying Treasury guidance. FBC strongly supports the PPP loan program which has helped almost 5 small million businesses cover payroll and business expenses during the COVID-19 crisis.continue reading →

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee will markup a recently proposed extenders package, “The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Relief Act.” This bill would revise the progress made in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) by eliminating the doubled estate tax exemption level from $5.6 to $11.4 million. Under the proposed bill the estate tax would be returned to 2017 levels three years earlier than intended in the TCJA. The Family Business Coalition sent a letter signed by 151 groups to Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady, opposing lowering the exemption…continue reading →

Today the Family Business Coalition led a letter signed by 16 organizations supporting Congresswoman Noem's Small Business Legacy Act, HR. 6329. The bill unifies the tax treatment of contributions to non-profit organizations for the estate and gift tax. In 2015, the PATH Act clarified that gifts to certain non-profit organizations do not count against a taxpayer's gift tax exemption. The Small Business Legacy Act extends the same tax treatment of gifts to transfers at death. Politico Morning Tax ran a story on Wednesday highlighting FBC's support of the bill. "FIRST LOOK: The Family…continue reading →

Late Friday night, the Senate joined the House in passing its tax reform framework, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in a 51-49 vote. For decades, family businesses of all sizes have operated under an outdated and complicated tax code. The passage of the Senate tax reform bill is another step toward lasting reform that simplifies the tax system, reduces tax burdens on small businesses, and boosts income for workers. The Senate tax reform proposal remedies several significant shortcomings of the current code by reducing the corporate rate to 20 percent, lowering taxes…continue reading →

Today FBC sent a letter to Secretary Mnuchin reiterating our request for the Treasury Department to withdraw the proposed Section 2704 estate and gift tax regulations along with our coalition letter signed by 119 organizations. We are continuing to push for withdrawal of the proposed regs to provide certainty for family businesses. The letter is available below and here:continue reading →

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Washington, D.C. (Dec. 19, 2016)— The Family Business Coalition (FBC) released a poll of registered voters in Oklahoma that shows widespread support for the state’s wind industry and the wind tax credit that supports it. The poll shows not only Oklahomans want more state investment in wind power, but that they believe eliminating the state wind tax credit is a poor solution for fixing the state budget. A poll of 373 Oklahoma registered voters conducted at the end of November revealed important findings about the public’s opinion toward wind power in the state:…continue reading →

By Allyson Versprille Republican Donald Trump’s election signals good things for people who want to kill the federal estate tax. In the weeks leading up to the election, lobbyists for and against repealing the tax—Trump’s plan calls for repeal—expected that the estate tax wouldn’t change much in the first few years of the next presidency. Many anticipated a divided government that would keep the issue at a standstill. But with Trump’s win and Republicans maintaining control of both House and Senate, groups in favor of repealing what they refer to as the “death…continue reading →