[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6084308,"mediaKeyId","2917722-869ff643ac8fa131a258981eba1df56f","parentId",2917722,"title","Accountants and lawmakers split on who benefited from 2017 tax law; witnesses propose targeted reforms for Main Street","audioSeconds",249,"startMs",3518000,"endMs",3767000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2917722-869ff643ac8fa131a258981eba1df56f&start=3518&end=3767","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2917722-869ff643ac8fa131a258981eba1df56f/thumbnail_3518000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6084308/Accountants-and-lawmakers-split-on-who-benefited-from-2017-tax-law-witnesses-propose-targeted-reforms-for-Main-Street","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084308-3bef9d2df98ca489a7d5f4f4d8103d1f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773500724&Signature=er1qmqL1yKfAVeLXWEf53EcqNBhIgtBLczwbHF6ShxZSE2UwSk5cY3xCt08NHM-C5IzSRGhgdK3Tu-CdDwZJA1HYIkem7LlNb5YxGEekADW1EWr6qHlHINnNGSg1-DkBg4XV5Wt2~ikTOo7c1d8drbsqXpmrvxl1Kcl2n1c0C2g98hhTU~Qkq2uTUN-6257e2tf00QFBuI-py5aU-pIS59nC0dgTV8dZQiBeoP9ojLJiDsBWuVI7r4E0vhpHtr0z0gr1sAgCeA21ZRllNefqdHFLgSkLH4UyUVgXdfiqxQ9KSlqiRSiUii~PU8O1arvPbcufGKc-hYTpGT~T7Abtnw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Small Business","date","2025-04-08T00:00:00Z","article","The joint hearing showcased a clear divide between members and witnesses over who benefited most from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and how Congress should respond to expiring provisions.

Democratic lawmakers and Anne Zimmerman, a CPA and co‑chair of Small Business for America’s Future, argued that many TCJA benefits are skewed toward higher earners and larger firms. Zimmerman cited analyses and client examples to say Section 199A’s benefits were uneven: “The evidence clearly shows that for most small businesses, they have not” seen transformative benefits, and she said over half the total dollars went to business owners with incomes above $500,000 (as referenced in committee materials and testimony).

Republican members and several witnesses countered that many small businesses did benefit and that making the pass‑through deduction, immediate expensing and bonus depreciation permanent would preserve investment and jobs. Representative Van Dyne and others said data show the TCJA reduced the tax burden for the bottom 50% and spurred wage growth and investment in the pre‑pandemic period.

Rather than a blanket extension, Zimmerman and some members urged targeted fixes. Proposals discussed among witnesses and lawmakers included:

- A small‑business standard deduction to reduce compliance burdens and simplify filings for micro firms.
- A refundable payroll or payroll‑linked credit for hiring the first employee, to reduce the risk for entrepreneurs stepping from sole proprietor to employer.
- Closing corporate tax “round‑tripping” and other loopholes that Zimmerman estimated could free up tens of billions in revenue to be redirected to small‑business supports.

Witnesses and lawmakers also debated enforcement and service levels at the IRS and the role of the Small Business Administration. Zimmerman urged continued IRS modernization and better taxpayer service so small businesses can comply without disproportionate administrative burdens.

Ending: The hearing produced no legislative text but yielded a list of options lawmakers may weigh: a straight extension of current TCJA provisions, a permanent package of key business provisions, or a package of targeted supports and closures of corporate loopholes to refocus benefits on true Main Street firms.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Prosperity on Main Street: Keeping Taxes Low for Small Businesses","oneSentenceSummary","The joint hearing showcased a clear divide between members and witnesses over who benefited most from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and how Congress should respond to expiring provisions.","taxTitle","Small Business: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1829,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6084313,"Small‑business witnesses tell Congress tariffs are raising costs and sowing planning uncertainty",2721,2028000,4749000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2917722-869ff643ac8fa131a258981eba1df56f&start=2028&end=4749","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2917722-869ff643ac8fa131a258981eba1df56f/thumbnail_2028000.jpg","/articles/6084313/Smallbusiness-witnesses-tell-Congress-tariffs-are-raising-costs-and-sowing-planning-uncertainty","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084313-33c46ebca4ee20138fcc86486e5241c8/orig.mp4?Expires=1773500724&Signature=dkaJeeWiYnraox53hRK4gZ8Fsmh08IGwhUcj-5KdhnachbVRDQMGDUxSMFoIkH8eJsH~h~jM9VR8MNq~uNXHaaUf0DTCPW1STk-1uVEVtqAUZRQmn7V5h5mG~GMWvfTSF9tl4mPr9jEZynVcqjsYYBccsVhD3Tt6S~i8Q-pjNdPh7O9tVkasAoSM6RPobA-l9AwluJlLi0qFpKrDQ~aLkqs5SRljF6zUlLpOuc4OmSZoTrbunUl~NKGqOMbIJVwyoKa2xhiDB3OC7~56mWp7LmbNPewbr8w1jiPyDqNpjCOgz0ca92X3LCQEylDu-iG~GtQntO3pwmTMzasU1iOmrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Members of the House and Senate small-business committees and witnesses at a joint hearing spent considerable time debating the economic effects of recent tariff announcements, with several lawmakers and witnesses saying the tariffs act as a tax on families and small firms.

Ranking Member Markey warned that “these reckless tariffs and the impending retaliation will ruin many small businesses,” and said estimates show American households could pay “an additional $3,400 in costs.” He said small exporters and importers lack the scale to absorb higher supply‑chain costs.

Tax professionals and small‑business owners described immediate and practical consequences. Anne Zimmerman, founder of Zimmerman & Company CPAs, said the Small Business uncertainty index is “higher than it's been, I think, the second highest ever,” and gave examples of business owners postponing expansion because they cannot predict future costs. “He was already into $50,000 into opening his second location, and he's having to put that on hold simply because of the tariffs that have been enacted,” Zimmerman testified.

Witnesses and members described how large buyers can negotiate with suppliers to blunt cost increases while small local vendors cannot. Zimmerman said that difference can leave small suppliers bearing higher costs: “We as small business, truly small businesses, don't have the negotiating power that a large business has.”

Several lawmakers tied tariff policy to broader budget choices. Ranking Member Velasquez and other Democrats criticized the administration’s coordination of tariffs with proposed cuts to safety‑net programs, arguing that the combined effect would disproportionately harm working families and Main Street employers.

Ending: Both parties signaled a desire to reassert congressional oversight of tariffs. Committee members used the hearing record to press witnesses on planning impacts and to gather examples that could inform future hearings or legislation on trade authority and small‑business relief.","At a joint small-business hearing, lawmakers and witnesses warned that sweeping tariffs announced by the administration act like a tax on consumers, raise supplier prices and make inventory and hiring planning difficult for firms with thin margins and little negotiating power.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6084317,"Lawmakers, small-business owners press Congress to make 2017 tax cuts permanent to avoid 'massive tax hike'",2072,1246000,3318000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2917722-869ff643ac8fa131a258981eba1df56f&start=1246&end=3318","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2917722-869ff643ac8fa131a258981eba1df56f/thumbnail_1246000.jpg","/articles/6084317/Lawmakers-small-business-owners-press-Congress-to-make-2017-tax-cuts-permanent-to-avoid-massive-tax-hike","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6084317-14472f78d45e423e8f296bd816d2aeff/orig.mp4?Expires=1773500724&Signature=cFe~VLypyjvBW14xIJKbPRRPNE6Xed70uC2fqqsPlUfF~Kuemsv-ZNGf~HMR43iTPIaxfg009eUVFTvZu4QaXCwsi5k7cmi0ZYHCUxHKL1Hyl~I2lCMrCw48p25ERn8Gut1-r5J-Vi70DhJxNlimkNpG7Kr9kfM75s8v1Urd6Di7JhrrPXoMfek1JoiJk-h1sIXeJspn7U1IVAoVMZykydgQQOhO17qQDJ7OwN0SY~cARyOZLn8YCOioNtkqgo2VB8PL~2XPySOi8K5yVoi8XzUJYhbGIE0SlL-W4hN1TWkm6MiSotOnxgl1V3Mv79SfkIUqIz8mR4p5AU7odyhZOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A joint hearing of the House and Senate small-business committees on Thursday centered on calls to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 permanent so small businesses would not face what witnesses and Republican lawmakers called a “massive tax hike.” Chairman Williams said, “Extending small business tax cuts will drive growth on Main Street America.”

The hearing featured small-business owners and tax experts who told lawmakers that several TCJA provisions that benefit pass-through businesses and capital-intensive firms are set to expire and that expiration would reduce investment and could mean higher taxes for workers. The stakes were framed in broad terms by Chairwoman Ernst: “If we let the TCJA expire now, Americans and small business owners will be forced to shoulder another $4,000,000,000,000 in new taxes.”

Tom Click, president and chief executive officer of Patriot Industries, told the committees his company invested nearly $4,000,000 in advanced manufacturing equipment since 2017 and now operates three U.S. factories totaling about 40,000 square feet and employs nearly 100 people. “If Congress does not act this year, both our business and our employees will be hit with a massive tax hike,” Click said, adding that immediate expensing and a 20% pass-through deduction allowed Patriot to accelerate investment.

Preston Brashears, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, urged Congress to lock in full and immediate expensing and to restore immediate R&D expensing. “One of Congress’s top priorities should be to lock in full and immediate expensing, not just for another few years, but permanently,” Brashears said, arguing that amortization of research costs and the gradual sunsetting of bonus depreciation are “especially harmful to small businesses.”

Democratic members and some witnesses urged changes to target benefits to smaller firms. Anne Zimmerman, founder of Zimmerman & Company CPAs and co-chair of Small Business for America’s Future, said many true Main Street businesses receive little from the pass-through deduction. She told the committees her firm had a restaurant client with 11 employees who received $700 in tax savings, while a high‑income investor received thousands from the same deduction. Zimmerman recommended reforms including a small-business standard deduction, a first-employee hiring credit and closing corporate loopholes that favor large firms.

Committee members also asked witnesses about the estate-tax changes in TCJA. Click and franchise owner Jerry Akers described estate-tax and liquidity concerns for family-owned, capital-intensive businesses. Click said the estate or “survivor’s tax” could require family firms to divert funds away from hiring and equipment toward attorneys and insurance.

What happened next: lawmakers used the hearing to collect testimony for possible legislation. The panels closed by noting members may submit written questions and additional materials; no formal votes or committee actions were taken during the hearing.

Ending: Lawmakers on both sides said they want to avoid sudden expiration of provisions while continuing to debate whether reforms should make the current benefits permanent as written or be redesigned to more narrowly help micro and Main Street firms.","A joint House–Senate hearing heard business owners and analysts say expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions — including the pass-through deduction, bonus depreciation and R&D expensing — would raise taxes on small firms and slow investment; Democrats and some witnesses urged reforms and targeting rather than a straight extension.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Accountants and lawmakers split on who benefited from 2017 tax law; witnesses propose targeted reforms for Main Street

Small‑business witnesses tell Congress tariffs are raising costs and sowing planning uncertainty

Lawmakers, small-business owners press Congress to make 2017 tax cuts permanent to avoid 'massive tax hike'