David Cranston’s Tuesday morning was anything but routine.
Testifying before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, Cranston represented his company, Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corporation, and NFIB.
As president of the western Pennsylvania company, Cranston was there to discuss the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for small business. Founded in 1957 and an NFIB member since 1994, Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corporation sells material handling products.
“Like many business owners, I pay quarterly estimated taxes,” Cranston testified. “In order to pay those taxes, I take cash from my company each quarter. Those payments suck my working capital right out of my business quarter after quarter. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act’s new Section 199A, I now qualify for a 20 percent deduction on my pass-through income. In real terms, this means I will be able to keep between $1,200 and $2,500 a quarter in my business that I would otherwise have paid in taxes. The ability to keep $5,000 to $10,000 a year in my company is a big deal to a small business owner like me.”
Watch Cranston’s testimony, starting around 40:30 in the video above.
As of January, Cranston has focused on expanding into a new product line. Cranston will purchase new equipment, invest in training, and build a new website, according to his testimony. He credited the tax act for his better financial position to self-fund this new product.
“I can tell you that my optimism that the economy has a real opportunity to continue improving has dramatically increased,” Cranston testified.
Cranston testified in front of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, alongside Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, David Kamin, professor of law at the New York University School of Law, and Rebecca Kysar, professor of law at the Brooklyn Law School.
“The Tax Cuts and Job Act has not only reduced taxes for businesses like mine; it has created an environment where more business owners feel confident to take the cash from the tax savings and invest it back into their businesses,” Cranston told lawmakers. “For these reasons, I believe the Tax Cuts and Job Act is spurring business investment and therefore has set the stage for increased economic growth for years to come.”
Cranston commended the current business environment that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has created.
Click below to read NFIB member David Cranston’s written testimony on how tax reform is working for his business.
