[Source: L.A. BIZ] Washington’s ongoing showdown over tax reform appears to be doing little to buoy the nation’s small-business owners, a majority of whom say regulations and other aspects of government are far more important to their day-to-day operations.
That’s according to a report released today by Thumbtack.com, a website that connects consumers with local contractors and service providers, which surveyed more than 14,000 small-business owners on a host of topics concerning the convenience and burdens of operating in their home cities.
The results indicate small-business owners primarily are concerned about the amount of time they spend trying to comply with government regulations.
Respondents, hailing from 80 different cities, said they spent roughly 8.5 hours per year addressing compliance issues, and had to visit government offices at least three times a year to get information and address paperwork needed to run their businesses.
Thumbtack applied the survey results to rank cities and states on an A-to-F grading scale.
Los Angeles got a C+ for “business friendliness, ranking 53rd out of 80 cities.
It beat the national average in only one category, getting a B- for “training and networking programs,” while the national average was a C+. But 73 percent of the respondents said they hadn’t used the programs and couldn’t comment.
L.A. did worst on “licensing regulations,” scoring a D. The national average was a B-.
Anaheim (52nd out of 80) also got a C+ overall, scoring an A- for training and networking programs and a low of a D+ for licensing regulations.
Riverside (ranked 40th overall) scored a B, with a high of A- for “government websites.” It’s low score, a C-, also was for licensing regulations.
Thumbtack has conducted its annual small-business survey since 2012.
Tops among all 50 states were Wyoming, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Texas, Utah and Indiana, which each received a grade of A+.
At the opposite end of the spectrum were Alaska, Illinois and New Mexico, which each earned an F.
At the city level, Boise, Idaho; Worcester, Massachusetts; San Antonio and Austin, Texas; and Grand Rapids, Michigan all earned A+ grades for their support of small businesses.
Cities that received failing grades included Greensboro, North Carolina; Rochester, New York; and Honolulu, Hawaii. All three cities were criticized by respondents for having onerous licensing requirements and high tax rates.
Source: L.A. BIZ
October 24, 2017
