SBA Asks for Bookseller Input

At an April 6 meeting between the American Booksellers Association and the Small Business Administration, the SBA asked if ABA member bookstores would offer their evaluation and feedback regarding the clarity and ease of use of a questionnaire related to Small Business Health Care Tax Credits.

ABA is encouraging its bookstore members to take a moment to review the questionnaire and to respond directly to SBA with their critiques of it. Direct input from small businesses such as indie booksellers will help SBA in its goal of ensuring that it is operating in an efficient and timely manner.

Booksellers can send their feedback directly to SBA by e-mailing Healthcare@sba.gov.

Regarding the SBA request, ABA CEO Oren Teicher noted, "During our meeting with Administrator Mills, she acknowledged her understanding of the key role small businesses play in their communities, and she underscored how committed SBA was to serving them. We hope that this direct bookseller feedback can can help SBA in its ongoing work."

Two key topics of the April 6 meeting were access to capital and small business tax credits in the new health insurance reform law. Regarding access to capital, Mills noted SBA's efforts to streamline the loan process to make it more efficient and timely, and she encouraged any booksellers having an issue with access to SBA-backed loans to communicate any difficulties directly to SBA. --Dan Cullen