by Daniel Stefanski | Sep 1, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The leader of one of Arizona’s influential organizations for small businesses is breathing a sigh of relief after navigating the first year of a divided government.
Last week, the Arizona State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business, Chad Heinrich, wrote an op-ed for the Arizona Daily Star, looking at the aftermath of the 56th Legislature in relation to how small business owners faired during the extended session.
Heinrich noted that “while several of the bills introduced this past session would have impacted small businesses – some good, some bad – a few did not make it across the finish line in the Legislature, and others fell victim to Governor Katie Hobbs’ veto.”
One of Henrich’s “good” bills was HB 2019, which was sponsored by Representative Travis Grantham. The NFIB-AZ Director stated that “small-business owners who are subject to licensing and permitting regulations at the local government level will benefit from the passage” of this legislation, which was given the nickname of “The Permit Freedom Act.” Henrich explained that “this bill puts in place three safeguards for permit applicants by requiring the local government to provide: 1. Clear criteria for whether a permit will be granted or denied, 2. An explicit deadline for when the government will decide whether to grant or deny the permit, and 3. A meaningful day in court for cases where the applicant thinks the government wrongly denied the permit.”
HB 2019 was signed by Hobbs on April 18, after passing out of the state house with significant bipartisan support.
The report card from Heinrich was not all favorable, however. He praised the “support from our member small-business owners” in helping to “quash several bills that would have been detrimental to small-business owners and their operations.” The two bills Henrich used to illustrate his point were HB 2290 and HB 2555.
According to Heinrich, HB 2290 “sought to impose additional healthcare mandates and thereby would have made healthcare coverage further out of reach for many small-business owners.” Henrich wrote that “small business owners owe a debt of thanks to leaders in the Senate for stepping up and holding firm against this detrimental legislation.”
The other bill on Henrich’s “bad” bills list, HB 2555, “would have mandated that businesses accept cash as form of payment.” Henrich opined that this policy would have “put many different types of businesses at risk – especially those that are located in areas of greater crime risk and those that do business through transactions of larger dollar amounts.” He again thanked the Senate for serving “as the final arbiter,” ensuring that this bill “did not receive a vote of the full Senate.”
In his op-ed, Heinrich also addressed tax increases on small business, highlighting “a few legal guardrails in place in Arizona” that make these actions challenging. He listed two of those guardrails – Prop 108 (passed in 1992) and Prop 132 (passed in 2022) – that give pause to tax increases, whether by the state legislature or the ballot box.
As he closed his op-ed, Henrich encouraged NFIB members to “continue to focus on supporting those who vote with small business on issues that matter within the legislative branch while also keeping close watch on the regulatory environment which is largely governed through the executive branch.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 18, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Inflation is forcing Americans to spend more of their hard-earned dollars over the past two years.
The rate of inflation has become a common refrain the past couple of years. While experts are hopeful that skyrocketing inflation may be a thing of the past, data shows that men and women around the nation continue to dig deeper into their wallets than they did before.
Mark Zandi, the Chief Economist for Moody’s Analytics Economics, recently tweeted that “the high inflation of the past 2+ years has done lots of economic damage. Due to the high inflation, the typical household spent $202 more in a July than they did a year ago to buy the same goods and services. And they spent $709 more than they did 2 years ago.”
Even with this analysis, Zandi expressed optimism with the future of inflation and the American economy, writing, “The trend lines look good, and suggest inflation is set to moderate further. Vehicle prices will decline more, so too will electricity prices, and the growth in the cost of housing will slow further.” However, he warned that his “biggest worry is the jump in oil prices, which bears close watching.”
The news about the current state of inflation comes as President Joe Biden heralds the anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was executed in an attempt to address the runaway inflation that has, at times, crippled certain sectors of the American economy. Biden posted, “One year ago, I signed into law one of the most significant laws ever enacted: the Inflation Reduction Act. Emerging from a deadly pandemic and doubts about America’s future – we delivered. Looking forward, not back. Taking on the special interests and winning.”
Arizona officials also weighed in on the significance of the law’s passage, sharing their perspectives on the progress (or lack thereof) since its execution. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego wrote, “Clean-energy jobs, a more secure water supply, and lower utility bills. These are just a few ways the Inflation reduction Act is delivering for Phoenix families since it became law one year ago today.”
Republican Senator Anthony Kern responded to Gallego, saying, “More left political lies. Has anyone’s electric bills, water bills, gas bills, and food bills been lowered??”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Aug 9, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
There continues to be a level of optimistic caution from small businesses across the United States as owners weather the current economic environment. On Tuesday, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released its monthly Small Business Optimism Index, showing an increase of 0.9 of a point in July 2023. That index now sits at 91.9, which, according to NFIB, is the “19th consecutive month below the 49-year average of 98.”
NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg issued the following statement in conjunction with the report, saying, “With small business owners’ views about future sales growth and business conditions dismal, owners want to hire and make money now from solid consumer spending. Inflation has eased slightly on Main Street, but difficulty hiring remains a top business concern.”
Additionally, the NFIB State Director for Arizona, Chad Heinrich, shared his own thoughts on the new data, writing, “With the state legislature finally adjourned from its regular session, small business owners can continue focusing on operating their businesses without worry of new costly mandates or higher taxes coming from our state government. We are thankful for the pro-small-business legislators willing to stand against job-killing tax increases and regulatory mandates on our small businesses in Arizona.”
The national business organization highlighted some of the findings uncovered by its newly revealed report, including that “owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months improved 10 points from June to a net negative 30%, 31 percentage points better than last June’s reading of a net negative 61% – which is the highest reading since August 2021 but historically very negative;” that “forty-two percent of owners reported job openings that were hard to fill, unchanged from June, but remaining historically very high;” that “the net percent of owners raising average selling prices decreased four points to a net 25% seasonally adjusted, still a very inflationary level but trending down – which is the lowest reading since January 2021;” and that “the net percent of owners who expect real sales to be higher improved two points from June to a net negative 12%, a very pessimistic perspective.”
This NFIB Small Business Optimism Index has only climbed above 100 two times since President Joe Biden walked into the White House in January 2021. During the Trump administration, the Index sat over 100 for most months during the four years of his presidency – with declines during 2020 when COVID-19 decimated the health and structure of businesses around the nation. Earlier this month, President Biden touted his economic record, tweeting, “13.4 million jobs have been added to our economy on my watch. More than any other president in a full 4-year term, and heartening that our economic agenda is creating opportunity for working for families.”
The president also boasted of his policies giving a much-needed boost to the American economy, writing, “We have the lowest rate of inflation among the G7, down two thirds from its peak. That’s Bidenomics: growing the economy by creating jobs, lowering costs for hardworking families, and making smart investments in America.”
Twitter added a note from readers on this tweet from Biden, providing context to the information shared by the president. The note read: “According to a report released on July 4, 2023, Japan had the lowest inflation rate among the G7 countries in May of that year. The year-on-year inflation for the G7 as a whole fell to 4.6%, with Japan’s rate specifically registering below 3.5%.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Jul 28, 2023 | Economy, News
By Corinne Murdock |
Plans by state and local leadership to establish Arizona as a leader in semiconductor manufacturing have stalled due to a lack of skilled workers.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced last week that it will delay production until 2025: a full year after their initially planned launch. TSMC produces 90 percent of the world’s microchips, supplying major products like Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers.
TSMC Chair Mark Liu indicated in last week’s second quarter earnings call that efforts on their end to gin up an adequate workforce couldn’t counter the limited talent pool in the country.
“We are encountering certain challenges, as there is an insufficient amount of skilled workers with those specialized expertise required for equipment installation in a semiconductor-grade facility,” said Liu. “While we are working to improve the situation, including sending experienced technicians from Taiwan to train the local skilled workers for a short period of time, we expect the production schedule of N4 process technology to be pushed out to 2025.”
Maricopa County Community Colleges (MCCC) partnered with Intel to launch a program last year to supplement the burgeoning semiconductor industry’s workforce, estimated to be around 3,000 workers between Intel and TSMC. Students who pass certification receive a $270 stipend to cover the tuition cost.
TSMC raised their investment in the state from $12 billion to $40 billion ahead of President Joe Biden’s visit to tour the Phoenix facility last year.
Biden’s TSMC appearance marked his first and only trip to the state during his entire presidency — even with the ongoing border crisis. Biden justified prioritization of a manufacturing facility over the border crisis by claiming the border wasn’t important.
Biden’s first and, so far, only interest in visiting Arizona may align with his consistent desire to prioritize business and personal interests over national interests (as reflected by his alleged involvement in the laptop debacle revealing corrupt foreign business dealings by his son, Hunter Biden). Biden said during his TSMC speech that he “owe[s] an awful lot” to TSMC because the wife of its founder, Morris Chang, worked his first Senate campaign.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego also has ties to TSMC. Gallego’s former senior policy advisor and campaign donor, Laura Franco French, serves as TSMC’s director of state government relations. Franco French joined TSMC in 2021 immediately after departing Gallego’s office, where she’d served since Gallego became mayor in 2019.
Gallego’s TSMC connection may explain her apparent lack of concern with TSMC’s delay. When asked about the TSMC issue with obtaining skilled workers during an interview on Sunday, Gallego responded with a non-answer.
“We are very excited to be the future of semiconductors. It’s so important that we’re onshoring manufacturing of these essential devices in the United States and we’re going to take an all-hands-on deck approach to make sure it is successful,” said Gallego. “President Biden has picked Phoenix as one of the innovation job hubs and will be able to partner with the US Department of Commerce in particular, but across his administration to do training for our residents. We have a very successful project with our community college where people can get a six-week certificate in semiconductors that’s produced hundreds of graduates so far, but we know we have to turn it up so that we can deliver not just for Arizona but for the world.”
In addition to the shortage of skilled workers, TSMC’s development in Arizona may be delayed due to other concerns with health and environmental impact.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — dubbed “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down — are integral to microchip production. PFAS have been linked to a host of serious health issues concerning fertility, fetal development, bone variations, behavioral changes, accelerated puberty, high blood pressure, liver disease, cancer, lowered immunity, hormone disruption, thyroid disease, high cholesterol, and obesity. Chemical waste from factory production has led to PFAS contaminating water and, consequently, humans and the environment.
The Biden administration has progressively focused on PFAS with increasing pressure. Last June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued four drinking water health advisories for PFAS. Last August, the EPA proposed designating two of the most widely used PFAS as hazardous substances. Last December, the EPA required facilities to report on all PFAS usage. In March, the EPA issued its first-ever proposal to regulate PFAS in drinking water.
READ MORE EPA ACTIONS ADDRESSING PFAS
The Biden administration has offered $3 billion in grants to states and territories to clean up PFAS in drinking water; it also launched an analytics tool for the public to track PFAS contamination.
3M announced in December that it would halt PFAs production by 2025, a move which set off alarm bells for TSMC and other chipmakers. The announcement came ahead of the company’s $10.5 to $12.5 billion settlement for drinking water contamination.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jul 22, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Fresh off of 14 years of influence from Republican governors and legislators, Arizona remains one of the top economic states in the nation.
This month, CNBC published its Top States for Business for 2023, showing that Arizona was ranked 14th among the 50 laboratories of democracy. Arizona was ranked 3rd in the Workforce category (16% of weight), 7th in Infrastructure (15.6%), 15th in Economy (14.4%), 35th in Life, Health & Inclusion (14%), 33rd in Cost of Doing Business (11.6%), 18th in Technological Innovation (10.8%), 13th in Business Friendliness (8.6%), 42nd in Education (5%), 17th in Access to Capital (2%), and 40th in Cost of Living (2%).
In summarizing why Arizona grabbed the 3rd ranking for workforce, CNBC wrote, “Educated workers are flocking to the Grand Canyon State, and a growing number of them are highly skilled as the state boosts its tech sector. With unemployment roughly in line with the national average, worker shortages are not as severe as they are in some other states. Arizona is a right-to-work state with a solid career education system, though worker training programs could use some improvement.”
The 2023 rank for Arizona’s workforce had improved from 7th (in 2022) to 3rd; economy from 22nd to 15th; life, health & inclusion from 50th to 35th; technology & innovation from 29th to 18th; access to capital from 41st to 17th. The overall ranking rose from 34th to 14th.
According to CNBC’s Economic Profile for Arizona, the GDP growth in quarter one of 2023 was 2.70%, the unemployment rate as of May 2023 was 3.40%, the top corporate tax rate was 4.90%, the top individual income tax rate was 2.5%, and the gasoline tax is 37.40 cents per gallon.
The state’s top-rated economic status was the result of years of policies and calculations made by its leaders – both in the executive and legislative branches. In his online portfolio of his eight years in office (theduceyyears.com), former Governor Doug Ducey touted the expansion and moves of several industry leaders in Arizona. Those leaders included Intel, which “announced a $20 billion expansion to create two new semiconductor fabrication facilities;” and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which “will create over 1,600 new high-tech jobs and generate thousands of additional jobs in the state for suppliers and other companies within the semiconductor industry.”
The former governor also noted that “Arizona passed the largest income tax cut in the state’s history, making our flat tax the lowest in the nation at 2.5%.”
Soon after taking office, Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs retained the services of the President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Sandra Watson, perhaps hoping to maintain the state’s successful business reputation at a critical juncture in its history. The Governor’s Office highlighted that “under Ms. Watson’s leadership, the ACA has worked with over 1,100 companies that have committed to creating more than 240,000 jobs and investing over $103 billion in capital in Arizona.” Watson was installed in her position under the Jan Brewer administration in 2012, and she continued in that role throughout Ducey’s tenure.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jul 4, 2023 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Americans celebrating the Fourth of July are paying more than they were two years ago.
According to the 2023 American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) marketbasket survey, American families might expect to pay $67.73 for a cookout on July Fourth. This amount is three percent lower than a year ago, but around fourteen percent higher than 2021 numbers.
AFBF Chief Economist Roger Cryan weighed in on the news, saying, “The slight downward direction in the cost of a cookout doesn’t counter the dramatic increases we’ve seen over the past few years. Families are still feeling the pinch of high inflation along with other factors keeping prices high. Don’t assume farmers come out as winners from higher prices at the grocery store either. They’re price takers, not price makers, whose share of the retail food dollar is just 14%. Farmers have to pay for fuel, fertilizer and other expenses, which have all gone up in cost.”
Zippy Duvall, the President of AFBF, also issued a statement, writing, “While the increased costs are difficult and have made it more challenging for some families to put food on the table, it’s important to remember that America still has one of the most affordable food supplies in the world, which is due in part to strong farm bill programs. As we all celebrate the holiday, we encourage members of Congress to consider the contributions of the farm bill to our security and independence by ensuring a safe and abundant food supply.”
AFBF shared multiple factors that might explain the increased prices for food: “Drought conditions have increased the cost of feed and reduced the number of available cattle for the summer grilling season, driving up beef prices; higher potato prices can be attributed to poor weather leading to a drop in production, and general inflation is driving up the price of processed foods like bread.”
According to the AFBF, data for the survey was collected “from 240 stores in every state and Puerto Rico.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
