Nebraska For Us hosts roundtable of local small businesses in South Omaha

On Wednesday, June 26, Nebraska For Us hosted a roundtable of our area’s small businesses and members of the community for a wide ranging discussion that included focuses on tax policy, labor challenges, immigration, high expenses, and several other topics.

Nearly two dozen participants and guests shared their experiences with the challenges they face on a daily basis.

“This past year, I paid close to $30,000 in taxes for business operations,” business owner Billy Mendez said. “It’s a balancing act to ensure you’re paying enough throughout the year. I pay my taxes quarterly and had to come up with an additional $8,000 out-of-pocket at the end of the year. That is on top of my own personal taxes.”

“I think microbusinesses are drastically underrepresented in the current tax structure,” retired business owner Stephanie Heller said.

“Right now, we just don’t have the migration to our state to help keep many of the jobs available in Nebraska from moving to other states,” Nebraska For Us State Director Angie Lauritsen said. “We are seeing a lot of people retire, and we don’t have enough employees in our area to replace them.”

The 90-minute conversation provided an opportunity for members of the community to share their experiences, thoughts, and opinions about various issues facing working class and middle income Nebraskans, along with the small businesses that employ them.

“Getting all of these people from the Omaha metro’s diverse backgrounds into the same room to discuss what matters to them, their businesses, and their families is of the utmost importance,” said Anna Hernandez, regional organizing director at Nebraska For Us. “Without that face-to-face interaction, many of us wouldn’t have gained some of the information we got here today.”

Nebraska For Us is an economic advocacy and policy organization focused on Congressional District 2. We believe it is important to hold community events and forums, while also opening up a dialogue for members of our community to lift up their voices on subjects of economic importance for working class and middle income Nebraskans.