March 9, 2010

Addressing concerns of small businesses, Hunt called for the governor and legislature to spend as much energy looking for ways to consolidate and reduce spending as they do coming up with new taxes. "I see many budding entrepreneurs in my CPA practice who come to me to find out how to set up a new business. By the time we add up all of the income taxes, payroll taxes, excise taxes, and unemployment and workers comp insurances, they realize that more than half of their top line is going to go out the door to the state and Federal governments."

He continued, "On top of that, we have a health insurance mandate that is simply unaffordable to most small businesses. The 5^th Barnstable District is made up entirely of small businesses and state health insurance laws discourage growth of those businesses with ten or fewer employees and encourages businesses just over the mandate's ten-employee threshold to cut their payrolls."

Hunt said that the state's constant tinkering with laws, "the ever changing playing field" as he put it, creates uncertainty and a poor economic climate for investors. Specifically citing the motion picture film credit enacted to spur investment in that industry, a great deal of time and money has been spent by investors to clear the way for development of "Hollywood East" only to have the governor propose slashing the credit in half.

"How can investors make long-term commitments in Massachusetts and arrange the necessary financing when the rules get changed in the middle of the game?" Hunt questioned. "We're watching potential jobs, good jobs, evaporate due to uninspired thinking and shortsightedness on Beacon Hill."

Vinny deMacedo, state representative from the 1^st Plymouth District, opened up the speeches by calling out the "disconnect" that many state representatives have with the working people in their districts. A small business owner, himself, deMacedo lamented that some of the bills the legislature has debated are so unpopular with constituents across the commonwealth that he and Jeff Perry, current 5^th Barnstable District state representative and candidate for U.S. Congress, have wondered out loud "what planet do these people [the House of Representative's leaders] think we're on?"

Perry then introduced Hunt to the large group of supporters, commenting that Hunt's ability to step into the role of 5^th Barnstable state representative was an important consideration in his decision to run for the 10^th Congressional seat.