Issues

Protecting Brands: IFA supports policies that ensure franchise brand standards are protected so that franchisee investments are protected and consumers can expect the same safety, consistency, and quality regardless of the business’ location.

Enhancing Opportunities: IFA supports policies that expand access to business ownership and enable franchise business employees to increase their skills, advance their careers, and prosper economically.

Improving Tax Policy: IFA advocates for reasonable, permanent, and common-sense tax policies that can help small businesses, including pass-through businesses, can open new locations, hire more workers, and better contribute to their local communities.

Promoting Healthcare Coverage: IFA supports policies that allow for quality, affordable health care coverage for franchise business owners and employees.

Joint Employer

The International Franchise Association advocates for a thoughtful, clear, and narrow joint employer standard that creates certainty for brands and business owners alike.

Protecting Brands

Franchise Relationship Legislation

In recent years, the federal and several state governments have introduced legislation that would codify franchise contracts into law, which would increase regulation on small business owners, reduce franchisee equity, damage brand standards and public safety, and insert the federal and/or state government into all preexisting and future contracts.

Protecting Brands

Association Health Plans (AHPs)

Whether a large franchisor company with thousands of locations or an individual franchisee successfully running a single unit, delivering affordable health care is one of the most pressing issues facing franchising.

Promoting Healthcare Coverage

Veteran Entrepreneurs Act

The Veteran Entrepreneurs Act would provide veterans with a 25 percent tax credit on the initial franchise fee, which the prospective veteran franchisee can elect to pass to the franchisor in exchange for a discount of equivalent value up front.

Enhancing Opportunities

Independent Contractor

IFA has strongly opposed efforts to enact independent contractor tests that rob franchise owners of their investments by effectively demoting them to employees of their brand.

Protecting Brands

Trademark Licensing Protection Act

The Trademark Licensing Protection Act (TLPA) will resolve a "catch-22" regarding brand standards in federal law: trademark law requires franchisors to enforce their brand standards, but at the same time, employment law penalizes them for enforcing those same brand standards.

Protecting Brands