NAMA CEO Carla Balakgie recently contributed an opinion piece to Washington DC media outlet, The Hill. Focused on tax reform for the small business and what might be in the new U.S. tax code reform plan, Balakgie is true to her industry, bringing in the challenges of the vending, micro market and office coffee service operator. In the article, Balakgie states:
"As the leader of NAMA, the National Automatic Merchandising Association, I am acutely aware of the current tax code’s adverse effect on convenience services operators—men and women who own and operate vending, foodservice, micro market, and office coffee service businesses. Their frustration is understandable. Roughly three-quarters of small businesses are not considered corporations, so they are taxed at the personal tax rate of the business owners. The top individual tax rate hovers around 40 percent, while the top corporate tax rate is currently 35 percent, forcing many small business owners to pay higher taxes solely because they do not lead major corporations. Additional state and local taxes can increase the small business tax burden by up to 50 percent. The current system, in effect, punishes small businesses for being small."
She also rallies against the estate or death tax, which can "cripple" a family business which has assets tied up in land buildings and equipment.
