Nursery and Greenhouse Growers Praise Congress for Blocking Oppressive Paperwork Requirements of Health Care Bill
By Oregon Association of Nurseries
Wilsonville, Ore. , April 7, 2011 – The Oregon Association of Nurseries today lauded the U.S. Senate – and the two Oregon Senators specifically – for the vote to stop burdensome accounting requirements of the Health Care Bill.
Yesterday the Senate passed H.R. 4, the “Comprehensive 1099 Taxpayer Protection and Repayment of Exchange Subsidy Overpayments Act of 2011,” which repeals the provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requiring businesses to file 1099 tax forms on all purchases over $600. Both Oregon Senators voted in favor of the measure, which was supported unanimously by Oregon small business and agriculture interests.
“Oregon’s nursery and greenhouse industry is particularly grateful to Senators Wyden and Merkley for their leadership and support for timely repeal of this onerous and costly mandate,” said Jeff Stone, Executive Director of the Oregon Association of Nurseries.
The measure now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign it. The president mentioned repealing the provision during his State of the Union address, saying the requirement that businesses submit to the IRS a report of any transaction adding up to $600 in business in a year would be an “unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses.”
“As a small business employer in the nursery industry, the 1099 provision would have required me to issue a tax reporting form to nearly all of my vendors,” said Kristin VanHoose, OAN President and owner of Hydrangeas Plus nursery of Aurora, Ore. “At a time when family farms like mine are facing one of the worst market environments in our lifetimes, I appreciate our Senators looking out for us.”
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The Oregon Association of Nurseries, based in Wilsonville, represents more than 1,200 wholesale growers, retailers, landscapers and suppliers. Oregon’s ornamental horticulture industry is among the state’s largest agricultural commodities, with annual sales of $740 million. Oregon’s nursery industry is a traded sector; nearly 75 percent of the nursery plants grown in Oregon are shipped out of state. For information, visit www.oan.org or call (503) 682-5089.
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