The Small Business Watchdog

 
The Office of Advocacy recently posted several new one-page explanations of Small Business Facts — detailed answers to questions about small business economics. One installment in the series deals with health insurance patterns in small firms, and explains three realities of the health insurance marketplace:
• Small firms are less likely than large firms to offer [...]

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On July 24, the Office of Advocacy recommended that IRS eliminate the “use-it-or-lose-it rule” for health flexible spending accounts (FSAs). Advocacy’s letter pointed out that the rule negatively affects small business employers offering health FSAs, and recent changes to tax law make it no longer necessary.
The rules currently require funds remaining in a health FSA [...]

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The Office of Advocacy’s latest small business lending report is a valuable small business tool because it tells you who is making small business loans in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and most of the territories. Since there are several ways to measure lending, it’s not quite accurate to say any one lender [...]

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In January 2011, the President directed all executive agencies to undertake an unprecedented governmentwide review of regulations on the books, in order to figure out what is working and what is not, and where appropriate, to streamline or eliminate ineffective, overly burdensome, and outdated rules. Over two dozen agencies responded with regulatory reform plans, listing [...]

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Confused about terminology? Or the basic definitions used in small business statistics? The Office of Advocacy has launched a new series, “Small Business Facts,” to demystify key small business topics and explain terms that often cause confusion. These concise handouts will bring you up to speed on key information and issues.
Six Small Business Factsheets are [...]

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It seems that you can’t go a day without hearing about the need for America to nurture its entrepreneurs. This mantra was quite abstract to me until I took a trip recently to Gainesville, Florida, home of the University of Florida  (UF) and a host of impressive, innovative health, biotech and social media companies.
Gainesville?! That’s [...]

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On June 28, the Office of Advocacy submitted comments to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on a proposed sea turtle conservation rule imposing new shrimp trawling requirements.
Here are several excerpts from the letter, addressed to Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator. The full text is available on the Office of Advocacy’s website.
“The Office of Advocacy [...]

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In case you don’t have the chance to have coffee in person with Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant, a Pittsburgh business nonprofit is offering a close approximation.  In a pleasant 10-minute Youtube chat, Dr. Sargeant discusses a range of topics as part of the business interview series, “Coffee with. . .,” sponsored by Pittsburgh’s [...]

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Ah, summer—gardening time! Although since the dog tore up my first attempts at gardening a few years ago, I haven’t had the urge to get down in the dirt with a rototiller. But I do like locally grown fresh produce, and every year I purchase a season’s worth of weekly fresh vegetables from a local [...]

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U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Requests Comments on Development of the Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement
The federal government is starting the process of developing a new Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement. By committing to common goals, the U.S. government will more effectively and efficiently combat intellectual property infringement. In this request [...]

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