>>>This argument that if you tax a rich business owner his fair share that suddenly he will decide to quit or give up or will suddenly go from some thoughtful generous person who hires people to someone who can't or won't...

>It does happen, though. I've posted before that small business is the main driver of new employment opportunities. Right now there is some reluctance to employ because people aren't entirely sure what to expect on the healthcare and taxation fronts. After the Obama kerfuffle, lots of small business owners are looking to the Republicans and their lure of lower taxes. If it happens you can be fairly sure that small business will not reward the community by off-shoring as many jobs as possible, and that at least some of the increased $ will translate into more local jobs.

I see what you're saying but I'm not so sure I agree completely. If the small biz owners can make a little more money because of lower taxes, I don't see them throwing away these new-found profits by not off-shoring people. If the idea is to make money then whatever you can do to make more money is what is going to happen.

>So maybe a targeted tax cut is indicated, or a formula that gives you the cut as long as your "new job to revenue" ratio exceeds a threshold. Then you can set the threshold so that the decent sized local business is most equipped to benefit, including these important $250K ones. Seems to me that if explained properly, the only complaint is likely to be from the usual culprits who think that they deserve it all or if the employers keep it all for themselves.

hmmm..well in theory that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. However what would happen is there would be a pile of new complicated tax laws and by the time all was said and done these new laws would be laden with loopholes and whatever some lobbyists wanted in them and it would somehow, once again, end up being wildly complicated an unfair.

>Apart from that, everybody else will be trying to grow their business to get into the sweet spot or employing extra staff to meet the ratio. But adding more tax? I can't see sense in manhandling the goose that lays the golden egg. When it comes to jobs, small business is *clearly* the goose that lays the golden egg. Obama is surrounded by advisers, surely they can come up with a win.