Small Business Report

**Statement By Small Business For America’s Future Co-Chair Anne Zimmerman Urging Lawmakers to Level The Playing Field For Small Businesses**

We urge the lawmakers in Washington to dedicate themselves to ensuring our country’s large corporations and wealthiest citizens pay their fair share in taxes to help fund a federal budget that would rein in childcare costs and reduce the deficit, among other programs that help strengthen our economy and small business.

For too long, small businesses have been disproportionately burdened by a tax code that favors the biggest corporations and the wealthy. In fact, the effective federal tax rate for small businesses is 19.8%, while corporations like Amazon, on the other hand, had record profits of $35 billion in 2021 but only paid a 6% federal tax rate. Small businesses welcome proposals like President Biden’s Billionaire Minimum Income Tax — which would increase the incredibly low corporate tax rate of 21% established under the Trump Tax Cuts to a more fair 28%.

**9.3% of South Carolina Workers Are Business Owners**

Self-employed entrepreneurs account for 10% of all workers, according to 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. But whether born out of necessity or desire, an increasing number of workers are taking the plunge and starting their own businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. After an initial drop in new business applications in early 2020, monthly business applications soared to record levels, and the most recent data shows that applications remain significantly higher than they were a few years ago.

**Darlington County Watershed Public Meetings**

South Carolina Office of Resilience has awarded Darlington County a grant and contracted with E.L. Robinson to perform a countywide watershed study. If you live in Darlington County and have flooding issues, let your voice be heard at the public meeting in your area. See below or attached for the dates and locations of the public meetings.

May 10th at 6 p.m. - St. John's Elementary School, 140 Park St, Darlington, SC 29532

May 12th at 6 p.m. - Society Hill Neighborhood Center, 223 Hall St, Society Hill, SC 29593

May 17th at 6 p.m. - Lamar-Spalding Elementary School, 5232 Lamar Hwy, Lamar, SC 29069

May 19th at 6 p.m. - Elizabeth Coker Boatwright Performing Arts Center, Coker University, 300 E. College Ave, Hartsville, SC 29550.

**Congressman Clyburn Announces Over $71 Million For South Carolina Transit Projects**

Congressman James E. Clyburn announced that South Carolina will receive $71,283,892 from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to support transit projects across the state. This investment will allow local transit authorities to buy new buses, address repair backlogs, modernize fleets, and transition to new technologies that reduce carbon emissions. This funding was made available through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Biden signed into law in November 2021. Congressman Clyburn was the only member of the South Carolina House Delegation to vote in favor of this historic legislation.

“I am pleased to see additional funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act coming to South Carolina in order to upgrade and expand our transit systems,” said Congressman Clyburn. “Thanks to the work of President Biden and the Department of Transportation, we are continuing to see the positive impact the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is having on our communities through economic growth, job creation, and the overall safety and well-being of our residents.”