Survey: Micro-Business Owners Less Optimistic About Economy

Thirty-nine percent of the NASE members said the biggest beneficiaries of the Bush administration's tax cuts would be wealthy individuals; 32%, large corporations and their executives; 22%, the general working class; 4.2%, the self-employed; 2%, middle managers; and 0.4%, retirees.

Researchers also asked the micro-business owners about health insurance.

The NASE has been lobbying for years for proposals that would let self-employed individuals exclude health insurance premium costs when computing their income taxes and self-employment taxes.

The survey participants, who may have been influenced by the fact that they are active NASE members, ranked deductibility of health insurance premiums as the most important reform for the self-employed.

Thirty percent ranked access to affordable health care as the most important issue, while only 17% cited "fairer tax breaks for self-employed" and only 13% cited "growth/demand in my industry."