NJBIA President & CEO Michele Siekerka, Esq.
State officials have been expressing their concern for struggling businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their sympathetic words aren’t always reflected in their actions, NJBIA President & CEO Michele Siekerka said in an op-ed in the Asbury Park Press published Sunday.
Siekerka provided a list of nine new laws, executive orders and pending bills that impose added costs on employers, making it more difficult for struggling businesses to hang on after already enduring months of government-ordered shutdowns and operating restrictions.
The nine recent state actions include a new state excise tax on health benefits plans, a law that shifts the COVID-19 response costs for essential employees who contract the virus to the employer-funded worker’s compensation system, and an executive order mandating safety protocols at a cost, without establishing liability protection for businesses following the rules.
“While our leadership has expressed sympathy and empathy for our employers, especially our small businesses, during this extremely difficult year, what they say and what they do are two different things,” Siekerka wrote.
Unless state leaders stop enacting burdensome new mandates on the backs of businesses, their actions will undermine any hope of a financial recovery in 2021, Siekerka wrote.
6 responses to “Siekerka: NJ Businesses Need a Break from Costly State Mandates ”
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I agree. With all the talk and no action. My business have been suffering before the pandemic and suffering even more now that we are in this pandemic. I could use some help over here. My company has been ignored for quite sometime and the State of New Jersey is not helping out what so ever. All the State is doing is accepting payments for all these certifications and none of us are benefiting for having these certificates.
I strongly believe businesses are in a position where they should be fighting the lockdown related mandates and begin to lawyer up to open up. There’s too much evidence that the lockdowns don’t actually work and worse the selection of one business over another being essential and aloud to open or not. When in most cases one business over another is not proven as a greater source of COVID19 spread. And, to business owners and employees THEIR livelihood is essential! We’re all going to otherwise lose our jobs, businesses, homes and children’s education under the mandates which don’t work (many have already). Lockdowns work?; Florida is the 3rd largest State in the nation, completely open for the most part since June/July 18k COVID19 deaths. Meanwhile the kings of lockdown NY 4th largest state 34k COVID19 deaths, NJ 17k and smaller than both States. Why remain locked down given those failed outcomes?
It’s time to wake these politicians up, look at the facts they’re ignoring to keep us closed. I think everyone understands precautions around the most vulnerable are one thing, but outside of that destroying our economy and daily lives for a virus we cannot actually stop, but can treat 98-99% successfully has to end.
We need the ways or ideas from the lockdown champions that include the path to reopening now, not waiting until the COVID19 virus disappears or is impossible to contract.
Hi Michele – First I want to tell you that I really appreciate all you have done for NJ Small Businesses. Every email you send is very helpful and insightful. I pass along what I can to employees and friends where necessary. I have not read every NJBIA update but am curious about one major thing. Where does the State of NJ think they are going to get all of the lost tax revenue from by forcing businesses to close? The spending and pension liabilities are unsustainable even under the best of times. Also, are state workers being laid off and losing their jobs during these times? There must be a lot less for some state workers to due if 31% less businesses are filing taxes. Off course these questions are all relative to Federal taxes, but I would like to know about NJ. Thank you
Enough of this nonsense. NJBIA should hire constitutional lawyers take these mandates to court , we’re going to lose at the New Jersey Supreme Court level , but will win at United States Supreme Court these mandates are totally arbitrary , capricious and totally unreasonable !! Stop the talking and start the litigating.
This state can’t stop the endless taxation and over regulation of businesses, not to mention its love for parasitic litigation. With the increased tax rate imposed on Sub-S companies (“millionaires tax”), retroactive to 2020 – of course, our governor now takes the money a business owner would invest into their infrastructure, personnel, etc. and squanders the money on the NJ bloated bureaucracy. Bigger and bigger government. One only needs to understand that NJ is one of the costliest states in the Union and there is no end in sight!! As our governor continually advertises on costly, self promoting TV commercials, he is making it “Fair”. Taking small businesses money to him is fair. Then he can spend it on his Friends and Cronies while taking it from our business endeavors. Doesn’t sound fair to me. Our businesses are the true productive job creators/providers, not the government. That’s why we need to leave, unless this reverses course which under the present administration, is highly unlikely. Good luck Michelle.
Let’s not forget that in just a couple weeks we have an increase of minimum wage by $1 per hour. We will never recover at this rate. NJ is killing small business!