http://yourbiz.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/12/649382.aspxYou can’t ever make everyone happy. President Bush’s FY2009 budget appears to be a boon or disaster depending on the small business advocate you talk to. “This President is turning his back on small businesses at the very moment our economy needsen-USCommunityServer 2.0 (Build: 60608.1)http://yourbiz.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/12/649382.aspx#658894Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:02:59 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:658894Mike Stamler, Washington, D.C.Hi, Eve. &nbsp;An interesting article, but the claim that the proposed budget for 2009 represents a 15 percent cut from last year is highly misleading. &nbsp;It's only a 15 percent cut if you articifically pump up the SBA's 2008 budget by including the $69 million in congressional earmarks. &nbsp;Otherwise, it's very nearly the same as the current year, and significantly above the 2007 budget enacted by Congress. &nbsp;Most important, it includes a healthy 6 percenet increase in the agency's operations budget. http://yourbiz.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/12/649382.aspx#658914Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:08:23 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:658914Nick, PA8(a). I've never heard of 7(a). Ending the estate tax is a very important, this is not an asset that is being inherited, it is a business that supports the families of its employees. Estate taxes often destroy small businesses (businesses that pay taxes and provide jobs for the community). This is the opposite of economic development! http://yourbiz.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/02/12/649382.aspx#678886Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:54:04 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:678886Andrew Sexton, MANot sure where you're getting your facts Nick. &nbsp;In 2009, the exemption level for the estate tax will be $3.5 million for individuals, and $7 million for couples. &nbsp;According to a recent Federal Reserve Survey of Small Business Finances, 96 percent of small businesses have a net worth less than the $3.5 million exemption rate. &nbsp;This leaves only 4 percent of all small business qualified to pay the tax. <br> <br>Furthermore, the true opposite of economic development is the passing down of huge fortunes from one generation to the next. &nbsp;These massive inheritances often take the form of unrealized capital gains, and therefore would never be taxed at all if not for the estate tax. &nbsp;The estate tax is the most progressive tax there is, it doesn’t destroy small business, it levels the playing field. <br> <br>Perhaps the revenue generated from the estate tax could help patch up some of the real problems for small businesses presented by the Bush budget.