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Rejecting the tax code
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October 23, 1998: 7:59 p.m. ET
Grassroots petition grows in size as does influence of small biz group that started it
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - The debate over tax code reform is about to get louder.
The nation's largest advocacy organization representing small and independent businesses is aiming to collect one million signatures on its petition to replace the current income tax code.
At 900,000 and counting, the goal is well within reach.
The National Federation of Independent Business, NFIB, began its Campaign for Responsible Tax Reform on Sept. 22, 1997 and has been calling on Congress to replace the current tax code with one that would be simpler and fairer to all Americans.
"Our campaign gives teeth to what small business owners have been saying for years: the tax code is far too complicated and complex," says NFIB President Jack Faris. "We need a tax code which is fairer and simpler, and rewards work and savings."
The group already delivered 750,000 of the petitions - by flatbed truck - to Washington last June when the House approved legislation that directs Congress to replace the current U.S. tax system by the end of 2002. The Senate has yet to issue a decisive vote on the measure.
NFIB says it is receiving additional signatures at the rate of 4,000 per week and it is literally rolling out the next phase of its campaign next week in Albuquerque, N.M. and San Diego, Calif., when an 18-wheel truck carrying more petitions will travel to rallies in the two cities.
Force to be reckoned with in November
NFIB members, while far from the sole signatories on the petition, are perhaps among the most politically influential.
In a survey of NFIB members conducted by independent research organization Tel Opinion Research, small business owners are emerging as a make-or-break voting bloc in the November elections.
The telephone survey found more than 90 percent of NFIB members are "very likely" or "extremely likely" to go to the polls Nov. 3.
It also found that of the 56 percent of members who said they believe the country is moving on the wrong track, three out of five identified excessive taxation as one of their top two concerns.
"The poll indicates an intensity of grassroots strength that is unparalleled by any other national association," said Tel Opinion President Bill Lee. "With an average of 1,200 members in each congressional district, NFIB could very well tip the scale in any close race this November."
The National Federation of Independent Business, founded in 1943, currently has an audited membership of 600,000 business owners.
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