FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766
mhaller@franchise.org
jweisbord@franchise.org
IFA SUPPORTS HOUSE REPEAL OF AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2013—The International Franchise Association, along with more than 250 business organizations, today expressed strong support for H.R. 45, a bill to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), in a letter sent to members of the House of Representatives by the StartOver! Coalition. The bill, which is sponsored by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), has 123 co-sponsors.
The letter outlines the negative impacts and the undue burdens the Affordable Care Act places on the small business community. The employer mandate enacted in PPACA will turn full-time jobs into part-time employment and discourage business expansion and the creation of new jobs by small employers with a full-time equivalent workforce anywhere near the 50 employee threshold.
“The Affordable Care Act creates perverse incentives that will stifle franchisors and franchisees looking to expand by forcing them to choose between rising health care premiums or paying mandated penalties by not providing health insurance to their full-time workers,” said IFA President and CEO Steve Caldeira. “IFA has strongly opposed the Affordable Care Act since the first day it was introduced and will continue to engage in the regulatory process to ease the implementation burden of the law on the franchise and small business community.”
According to a study by the nonpartisan Hudson Institute, the employer mandate puts 3.2 million full-time jobs at risk in the franchise industry alone, and will add more than $6.4 billion in increased costs to franchise businesses, not including the cost of regulatory compliance.
To read the full letter please click here.
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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.