Big ‘I’ Agent Leader Participates in White House Small Business Meeting

This week, J. Dal Snipes, independent agent and Big “I” volunteer leader, was invited to participate in a White House meeting about issues important to small businesses. Snipes is president of Snipes Insurance Service in Dunn, North Carolina, serves on the Big “I” Board of Directors and is chairman of the Big “I” Finance Committee.

The select group of Main Street America leaders heard from President Trump, Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon and Presidential Adviser Ivanka Trump. Also present were White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, Director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn, Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), and several members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The discussion, titled “American Small Business – The Engine of the American Dream,” highlighted the valuable role that the Small Business Administration plays in supporting Main Street America. During his remarks, President Trump reiterated his commitment to instituting policies that enable small businesses to thrive, and pointed to the immediate impact that a strong economy will have on communities throughout the country. He concluded his remarks by saying, “America is on the verge of a golden age for small business.”

The Trump Administration has made economic and regulatory reform a central focus of its first six months, and is now leaning on Congress to tackle comprehensive tax reform. In April, the White House released its tax plan, which proposes to cut the income tax rate for public corporations from 35% to 15% and reduce the top tax rate by pass-through businesses—including many small partnerships and sole proprietorships—from 39.6% to 15%.

The plan would also cut the number of individual income tax brackets from seven to three, with a top rate of 35% and lower rates of 25% and 10%. The Administration and Republican leaders in Congress recently released a set of tax reform principles that they hope will provide a blueprint for legislation to move through Congress this fall. The Big “I” will continue working with the Administration and Congress as legislative action on tax reform ramps up.

Nathan Riedel is Big “I” vice president of political affairs.