Washington, Apr 27 - As many small business owners will tell you, tax increases can be devastating to their bottom lines, and that often means layoffs or even closing a business for good. As a small businessman myself, I am getting a lot of questions from small businesses about the impact of the new health care law that so many of us -- Republicans and Democrats -- fought against in Congress.
 
One of the most worrisome provisions in the health care bill that small businesses need to be aware of will arrive in 2012, when they will have to send to the IRS a Form 1099 for each and every business-to-business transaction of $600 or more. It is expected that the IRS will hire as many as 16,000 new auditors. In the years ahead, small businesses will be faced with other job-killing provisions in the current law, including new taxes, costly federally mandated minimum benefits package and other mandates on individuals and employers who will be penalized if they don‘t comply with the new health care rules.
 
Consumed with passing a massive government takeover of health care against the wishes of the American people, the Administration clearly remains out of touch with the concerns of our families. Folks like you are demanding that Congress stop spending taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars while standing in the way of our nation’s job creators. It is past time for Washington to begin empowering American entrepreneurs and to stop usurping more power for itself.
 
As a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I will take a keen interest in how the government implements the new regulations in the health care law and its impact on hard-working Americans and small businesses. This committee is charged with oversight of virtually everything government does, including regulatory reform and reorganization.
 
At the end of the day, Washington can do three things to help job creation: rein in skyrocketing deficit spending that discourages investment and threatens to bankrupt our nation; allow individuals and businesses to keep more of their hard-earned tax dollars; and finally stop the flood of regulation and get out of the way and let American entrepreneurial genius lead the way to prosperity.
 
As your representative, I will continue to work on policies that create jobs while keeping the government from continuing to pick your pockets.