Franchising.com | Calling on Capitol Hill: Why the IFA Advocacy Summit Matters

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By Matt Haller, CEO and President, International Franchise Association

Franchising.com

If fall is around the corner, so too is the 2025 IFA Advocacy Summit. Held each September in Washington, D.C., the Advocacy Summit is the single most important event for anyone invested in the future of franchising.

This is not just another conference; it is when the franchise community convenes as one to share our stories on Capitol Hill to influence policy that will have a lasting impact on everyone in franchising. This means franchisors, franchisees, and suppliers together in one place, speaking with one voice in support of our model.

In recent years, IFA advocacy has delivered real results: defeating harmful joint-employer regulations, outlining common-sense reforms for Responsible Franchising, pushing back on unwise regulations from the Department of Labor, and protecting franchisees from significant tax hikes at the end of this year. These victories were not happenstance; they were achieved because franchise leaders showed up, shared their stories, and built relationships with policymakers.

There has never been a more critical moment for our community to advocate for our shared future. If you’ve heard me speak at an IFA event this year, you’ve likely heard me refer to 2025 as “The Year of Franchising.” This theme was on full display earlier this year when I, along with nine franchisees from all over the country who flew to the nation’s capital, traveled to the White House for an event featuring everyday Americans who stand to benefit from the One Big, Beautiful Bill.

The tax provisions in the One Big, Beautiful Bill will have a hugely positive impact on America’s 830,000 franchise small business owners and their 9 million employees in more than 300 industries, including restaurants, retailers, hotels, and home services. It not only ensures they will avoid a major tax hike at the end of the year, but it also allows them to reinvest in their businesses and employees.

It extends the tax deduction for pass-through businesses, which 73% of franchisors and 98% of franchisees are established as. It extends bonus depreciation, allowing franchises to expense an additional $16 billion in year one alone. It also extends the business interest deduction, allowing franchises to deduct an additional $6 billion in federal taxes.

Of course, the bill includes the popular “No Tax on Tips” and “No Tax on Overtime” provisions that would save franchise employees $6 billion and $311 million each year, respectively.

Combined, these provisions are the rocket fuel our business model, which is already growing faster than the broader economy, needs to reach even new heights and create even more opportunity.

But this effort was about more than just numbers. It represented the culmination of a comprehensive, full-scale advocacy approach that began at the 2024 IFA Advocacy Summit.

No one can tell our story better than our members. Starting last year and continuing throughout the winter and the release of our 2025 Roadmap for Small Business Growth, as well as IFA members testifying before key congressional committees, we urged lawmakers to implement policies that will allow the franchise model to thrive and create more economic opportunity for all. We never took our eye off the ball.

Franchising extends beyond any one political party. It lifts people from all walks of life. In June, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a resolution in Congress officially commemorating June 11 as “World Franchise Day” for the first time. The resolution celebrates the economic and social contributions of the franchise business model. It was a powerful reminder of the franchise model’s unparalleled ability to create opportunity.

As much as we’ve accomplished, we’ve got a lot left to do. It is time to create certainty around the joint-employer standard. The definition has changed four times over the past decade with each change in administration, creating uncertainty for business owners and their employees that has damaged the symbiotic relationship between franchisors and franchisees, business operations, and employee relationships.

When lawmakers hear directly from franchise owners whose livelihoods depend on franchising, it makes a difference. The IFA Advocacy Summit is your opportunity to meet with members of Congress, share your experiences, and put a human face on the issues that matter to our business model. Whether it’s tax policy or certainty around joint employer, your voice is essential in shaping the policies that will determine our future.

So, join us at the upcoming IFA Advocacy Summit. Together, we’ll make 2025 The Year of Franchising. See you in Washington!

Matt Haller is president and CEO of the International Franchise Association.

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