NASE Through The Years... 2000s

The NASE Through The Years

Here are some of the highlights in the NASE's history.

2009

• Tax.NASE.org is launched, streamlining the tax filing process for micro-business owners with interactive calculators, a Schedule C planning tool and more.
• Created to provide a boost to deserving micro-businesses, the NASE’s Business Development Grant Program continued to flourish and even presented a $30,000 Achievement Award to one member in recognition of the excellent small-business practices she employed to catapult her start-up venture into a successful business.
• The NASE also celebrated two decades of helping members send their dependents to college through the NASE Scholarship Program. In 2009, the program helped 18 families send their students to college, in addition to the recipient of the substantial NASE Future Entrepreneur Scholarship.
• President Barack Obama discussed with the NASE how the Administration’s economic recovery efforts would benefit entrepreneurs, and at a meeting with the President the NASE made sure to mention that micro-businesses are still facing difficulties getting access to credit and financing while being crippled by health costs.
• A few NASE Members had the opportunity to visit the White House to listen to President Obama discuss health reform and why it is important to small business, and NASE Members from Allentown, Pa., were invited by the Administration to attend the start of the White House To Main Street tour with President Obama at Lehigh Carbon Community College.
• Members of Congress remain in contact with the NASE for information on helping micro-business. The NASE spoke up on a number of issues, including the likely impact of various health reform proposals on small-business owners, the need for a reduction in the complexity and amount of tax paperwork, and that certain tax incentives should not be allowed to expire.
• An NASE-supported Home Office Deduction Simplification Act, a bill that would make it easier for home businesses to deduct office expenses by offering a $1,500 standard deduction to eligible taxpayers, was introduced in both the House and the Senate in 2009.
• The NASE supported the introduction of the Equity for Our Nation’s Self-Employed Act, legislation in the House that would eliminate an inequity in the tax code that inhibits the self-employed from receiving a full deduction for health insurance costs, and the introduction of the Tax Equity for the Self-Employed amendment, legislation that would allow sole proprietors to deduct as a business expense 50 percent of their health premium costs, to the health care bill in the Senate.
• Following the success of the NASE’s Tax Seminar program in 2007 and 2008, in March the NASE’s National Tax Advisor Keith Hall traveled to seven cities across the country to share micro-business tax strategies and to bring together fellow NASE Members.
• The NASE worked to bring more benefits to members with the introduction of two new membership packages as well as the unveiling of the new Tax Resource Center, where NASE Members and other small- business owners have access to calculators, planning tools, tax advice from Tax Talk and more to help them with filing tax returns.

2008

• The House of Representatives introduced legislation, the Home Office Deduction Simplification Act (H.R. 6214), that would make it easier for home businesses to deduct office expenses by offering an optional $1,500 standard deduction to eligible taxpayers, with that amount also indexed for inflation.
• NASE Member Sheri Novak, owner of online natural toy retailer Hazelnut Kids, received a $30,000 award from the National Association for the Self-Employed in recognition of her excellent small-business practices and contribution to the community.
• The NASE Business Development Grant program hits the $350,000 mark in money awarded to deserving members to grow their businesses.

2007

• Keith Hall, NASE national tax advisor, spoke before Congress regarding the unfair hand micro-businesses are dealt in current proposals to fix the nation’s tax gap, estimated at $353 billion.
• A nationwide survey of over 3,000 micro-business owners found that an overwhelming percentage – 80% – do not offer retirement plans of any type for either owners or employees. The NASE also found that the greatest barrier, reported by 62 percent of respondents, is the cost of administering and contributing to a retirement plan.
• NASE President Robert Hughes testified before Congress on how small businesses have minimal options to set up a small group health plans.

2006

• Seeking member input, the NASE forms the Member Advisory Council to direct the association’s response to issues important to micro-business owners.
• The House of Representatives introduced legislation that would eliminate a discrepancy in the tax code that requires 14 million self-employed individuals to pay an additional 15.3 percent in taxes on the cost of their health insurance premiums.
• The NASE launched the Business Development Grant Program and in just over 6 months had distributed more than $70,000 to micro-business owners to carry out a specific business need.

2005

• The Senate introduced a bill to eliminate the payment of self-employment taxes on health insurance premiums, the number one legislative priority of the NASE.
• The Association of Small Business Development Centers named the NASE a “Champion of Small Business Development” at their annual meeting.
• Executive Director of the Legislative Office Kristie Darien, testified to the House Small Business Committee on tax relief for micro-businesses. She concentrated her statements on the elimination of the self-employment tax on health insurance.

2004

• The NASE was invited to two policy speeches by President Bush, and offered testimony to Congress on micro-business access to affordable health coverage.
• NASE President Robert Hughes represented the association at a White House holiday reception.
• The women.NASE.org resource center launched, targeting women in business issues and concerns.
• U.S. Small Business Administration released a study on the growth of entrepreneurship at the NASE Washington, D.C., office.

2003

• NASE President Robert Hughes authors Schedule C: From A to Z, a step-by-step guide to tax filing for sole proprietors.
• Spearheaded by the NASE, legislation to eliminate the payment of self-employment tax on health insurance premiums was introduced in the House of Representatives.
• Ten NASE Members were selected for the first Women’s Advisory Council, directing the association’s response to the increasing number of women entrepreneurs.

2002

• Robert Hughes, NASE President, testified before the House Small Business Committee regarding micro-business access to affordable health care. He participated in both House and Senate Small Business roundtables regarding access to capital, and a Senate small business committee roundtable on the role of the Small Business Development Centers in promoting regulatory compliance.
• The NASE began its co-sponsorship of the Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century summits across the country.
• The NASE “Micro-Business Survey” received national media attention as it reports that the self-employed are confident in their ability to overcome an economic downturn.

2001

• The NASE launched its Legislative Advocacy Center, advocacy.NASE.org, utilizing Internet resources to mobilize members as part of a grassroots campaign to advance the legislative agenda.

2000

• The NASE Scholarship Program received an “Award of Excellence” from the American Society of Association Executives.
• The NASE introduced the TaxTalk e-letter, providing expert advice on tax issues affecting the self-employed.

For more news about the NASE visit our press releases.