Gwen Graham, NFIB Team Up Against Obamacare Tax

U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, D-Fla., teamed up with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Florida chapter on Wednesday to call for cutting the health insurance tax (HIT) which was included in President Barack Obama’s federal health-care law. 

Graham is backing a measure to repeal HIT which could cost almost $160 billion over the next ten years with most of those costs on small businesses. 

““I co-sponsored H.R. 928 to repeal the health insurance tax, because a tax that disproportionately targets small business is harmful to employers, employees and to North Florida,”” Graham  said on Wednesday. ““When the health=care law was passed, the American people were promised that their health-care costs would not go up, and I am here to help keep that promise. This tax averages out to be $500 per year, per employee, and $5,000 over 10 years. That is unfair and burdensome.””

““The HIT is an often-overlooked tax in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” said Bill Herle, NFIB’s executive director in Florida. “There is no line item for it. It is a hidden tax on small business. 

““More than 2.1 million small business in Florida employ more than 2.8 million Florida workers,” Herle added. “If you do the math, this tax will suck billions from the Florida economy over the next 10 years, and small business will pay that price.””