Small Business Fee Exemption Act introduced by Venkat, Brown
More than 1.1 million small businesses operate in Pa.
Rep. Arvind Venkat December 11, 2023 | 9:33 AM
HARRISBURG, Dec. 11 – To incentivize the creation of more small businesses in Pennsylvania, Reps. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny, and Marla Brown, R-Lawrence, introduced the Small Business Fee Exemption Act (H.B. 1905) to reduce fees for small businesses.
In 2016, former Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 135 into law, providing fee exemptions to small businesses owned by veterans and reservists. The Small Business Fee Exemption Act would expand these exemptions to include small businesses started by women, minorities, veterans with disabilities and other groups underrepresented in the small business community.
The Small Business Fee Exemption Act would also exempt small businesses with five employees or fewer from these fees. Other small businesses would receive a 50% reduction in relevant fees.
“Through this legislation, we will keep Pennsylvania open for business by reducing fees for small businesses, creating more opportunities for entrepreneurs and spurring economic growth,” Venkat said. “With more than 1.1 million small businesses employing more than 2.5 million people in Pennsylvania, we have the opportunity to incentivize more Pennsylvanians to start small businesses, but also attract more entrepreneurs to open their small businesses in our commonwealth.”
“As the Republican chair of the Subcommittee on Local Business for the House Commerce Committee, I’m making it my priority to support small business in my district and every county in Pennsylvania,” Brown said. “I realize the vital role that small businesses play in our community and how closely they are tied to the people that live and work there.”
According to the Pennsylvania Business One-Stop Shop, small businesses represent 99.6% of businesses in Pennsylvania, Venkat noted.