ARLINGTON, Va. — In a letter sent to President-elect Barack Obama last week, the National Grocers Association urged the incoming administration to maintain a level playing field for independent grocers through an economic stimulus, fair employee-employer legislation, federal regulation of credit card interchange fees and enforcement of antitrust laws.
Specifically, NGA endorsed decreasing corporate tax rates, or the taxes on individuals operating as subchapter S corporations or other pass-through entities. The association said a stimulus package should extend the current expensing and bonus accelerated depreciation.
NGA seeks relief from the federal estate tax. The letter warned against over-regulation that can increase labor costs. It opposes mandates for paid sick leave, increased minimum wages, punitive civil penalties for employment law violations and expansion of employment discrimination laws. NGA opposes the Employee Free Choice Act.
The letter called on the president-elect to investigate the anticompetitive practices of credit card companies and banks in fixing the price of interchange fees and setting arbitrary rules, and urged enforcement of the nation’s antitrust laws, including the Robinson-Patman Act, to ensure a level playing field.
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