Small business owners say Washington hostile to job creation

A business group with strong North Carolina ties Tuesday released a poll that found that small business owners feel that Washington is creating a more hostile environment to growth.

The group, Job Creators Alliance, released a survey that found that 70 percent small business owners believed Washington was becoming more hostile to free enterprise, while only 19 percent thought it was becoming less hostile.

The group includes a number of prominent North Carolina businessmen including Robert Luddy of Raleigh, retired banker John Allison, and Fred Eshelman of Wilmington.

“As an entrepreneur who built my company from the ground up – this survey reinforces my belief that policies emanating from Washington are stifling economic growth and job creation in our country,” Luddy said at a news conference at the National Press Club.

The survey was conduced by OnMessage Inc. of 600 small business owners who employed 100 people or less. The poll was conducted Jan. 7-10 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

By far, the biggest issue concerning small business owners was taxes.

Six out of 10 of the small business owners think the health care act will negatively impact their businesses this year.