TO:                      Members of the New Jersey General Assembly 

FROM:               Hilary Chebra, Manager, Government Affairs CCSNJ

RE:                      Support of A-2226 (Dancer/Houghtaling/Downey)

DATE:                 December 2, 2021

The Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey (CCSNJ) would like to express our support for A-2226 (Dancer/Houghtaling/Downey), which suspends fines for certain first-time paperwork violations committed by small businesses.

As written, the bill would suspend the assessment of fines against small businesses, defined as a business entity that employs 50 full-time employees or fewer, for certain minor first-time paperwork violations.

Many small businesses lack the same resources that larger corporations have at their fingertips. This bill will provide small businesses much needed relief from technical fines resulting from minor paperwork violations that are not repeat offenses, which are often the result of limited time and resources, not a willful violation of the spirit of the law. Small businesses struggled more than most during the pandemic, with a third permanently closing their doors due to the pandemic. It is imperative that New Jersey do all it can to assist the remaining small businesses succeed in their recovery.

New Jersey is notoriously seen as a difficult place to do business with the highest property taxes in the nation, highest Corporation Business Tax (CBT) in the nation, and the second highest top marginal personal income tax rate in the nation. This bill will assist in making New Jersey a more business friendly state for small businesses.

For these reasons, the CCSNJ respectfully urges you to support A-2226 (Dancer/Houghtaling/Downey)