GUEST COLUMN, Nate Roy, Small business owner in Northeast Kansas
The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) has ignited a strong debate about its merits, but there is one provision that is a definite good for the American economy: the state and local tax (SALT) deduction for pass-through businesses — such as family farms, independent retailers, contractors, and service providers. While it hasn’t received as much attention — especially in rural states like Kansas, where many farms are pass-throughs — it is essential for the flourishing of small businesses across the country.
Running a small business is extremely difficult. As the owner of a small firm myself in Northeast Kansas, I have come to understand this fact in light of the turbulence of recent events. Whether it is navigating the uncertainty of the pandemic, dealing with inflation, or simply trying to stay competitive in the changing economy, the one constant is that every dollar is critical for success. Given this fragile existence, tax policy is a crucial factor that can mean the difference between prosperity and bankruptcy.
That’s why it was deeply concerning that the initial version of the OBBB Congress proposed earlier this year included changes that would have gutted the SALT deduction for small businesses. The ability to deduct state and local taxes has been critical for firms like mine ever since the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted. Losing that lifeline would have meant a major, unexpected tax hike — right when we could least afford it. For a time, small business owners in Kansas and across the country worried that their financial viability was at stake.
Fortunately, good sense prevailed, and the SALT business tax deduction was preserved in the final version of the OBBB. Congress realized that keeping taxes on small businesses low allows them to retain more of their money, expand their operations, and contribute to the country’s economic prosperity.
Small businesses make up 99.1 percent of all companies in Kansas and employ nearly half of our state’s workforce. We don’t have teams of accountants or lobbyists. We rely on fair, predictable policy — not loopholes for big corporations or last-minute surprises. Without action from lawmakers — including our state’s own congressional delegation — Kansas’ Main Street businesses would have been left behind.
With this fix in place, I can now plan for the future with confidence. It’s the kind of stability that Kansas entrepreneurs need. Because while we may run small businesses, our economic impact is anything but small.
Lawmakers deserve credit for recognizing this fact — and for making sure that the final version of the OBBB reflected it. Their decision to retain the SALT deduction avoided a policy mistake that could have hurt thousands of family-run operations in Kansas and across the country. It might not have made front-page news, but it certainly made a difference to those of us working every day to build successful enterprises.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR — Nate Roy is a small business owner in Northeast Kansas.
I call B.S.
Nice try, pal.
Hahahahahahahaha!!!!! How much did Roger Marshall and Jerry Moron pay this guy to write this nonsense?
Earl has a business partner on another paper called the K.S. informer. His business partner is a white-nationalist. This article was probably leftover from their MAGA rag. Earl doesn't like our community to know that he runs a paper with a racist-supremacist so he usually deletes comments exposing him. He likes to act like hes about bringing our city together but he's lying. He includes articles like this to appease his partner at the other paper. Earl is a pathetic racist-man.