The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

Tax Package Is Key to Maintaining Economic Growth

by Wyo. GOP Sen. Mike Enzi - 02/02/07 4:30 PM ET

The American economy created 111,000 new jobs in January, proof positive that the economy is continuing to grow and create new, better-paying jobs. I urge the House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s lead and pass a minimum wage bill that will relieve much of the tax and regulatory burden on small businesses, and allow them to remain the driving force behind economic growth.

We must be careful not to disrupt economic growth with a hike in the minimum wage that is not coupled with relief for the small businesses that must pay those higher wages. The Senate has delivered a true victory for minimum wage earners and middle class small business owners alike by overwhelmingly approving a fair and balanced minimum wage package. The House must now follow suit, and recognize that increasing the minimum wage without helping small businesses is not only unwise, it is not an option.

We have rejected the misguided notion that the minimum wage bill be a “clean bill,