FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766
mhaller@franchise.org
jweisbord@franchise.org
IFA STATEMENT ON STATE OF THE UNION
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 — International Franchise Association President & CEO Steve Caldeira issued the following statement following President Obama’s State of the Union Address:
“The franchising community welcomes the president’s call for action in Congress to address challenges with our immigration system and the complexities in the tax code. IFA stands ready to work with Members of Congress to enact these much-needed reforms for America’s 825,000 franchise businesses to accelerate job creation in our industry.
“Comprehensive immigration and revenue-neutral tax reform for corporations and individuals are top priorities of IFA’s 2013 Policy Platform, delivered to Congress on Monday. Reform of the tax code should not impede franchise business growth by reforming the code for corporations at the expense of individual filers and small businesses. Changes to the tax code should be done through a comprehensive package and not with piecemeal fixes. Any effort for reform that removes important business tax deductions should lower the overall tax rate for both corporations and individuals.
“IFA agrees with the president and bipartisan members of Congress that the current immigration system is untenable and actions must be taken to address the various employment needs of the franchise industry, particularly for lower-skilled workers where franchise businesses are concentrated, such as restaurants, hotels, and service-related businesses. IFA encourages a plan that includes a pathway for unauthorized immigrants to gain legal status, a better legal immigration system which recognizes employer needs and an effective easy-to-use employment verification system that safeguards employers.”
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About the International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising. Through its media awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the economic impact of the more than 825,000 franchise establishments, which support nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic output for the U.S. economy. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.