Small businesses are upbeat about 2017 and the Trump administration

▤ Summary

Dean Bingham says he’s cautiously optimistic because business picked up at his auto repair shop after the election — people who had put off fixing their cars have decided it was time to get them serviced. Although many business owners are more confident because their revenue looks likely to increase in 2017 due to the overall improving economy, they’re also optimistic because they expect Trump to deliver on promises to lower taxes and roll back regulations, including parts of the healthcare law. Braun thinks promised changes to the healthcare law will be one factor encouraging consumers to spend on things that aren’t their top priorities. Among the other laws and regulations that small-business advocacy groups want to see eliminated or changed are the Department of Labor’s overtime rules that were scheduled to go into effect Dec. 1 but were put on hold by a federal court in Texas. Jones is optimistic that Trump’s pledge to improve the country’s roads and other parts of its infrastructure will mean more government contracts and, in turn, more business for his company.

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