Support programs for small business were praised by Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C,I-Black River) at a recent meeting, but the assemblyman said that taxes, regulation and red tape remain as stumbling blocks to business development in the state.

Blankenbush, a member of the Assembly Small Business Committee, attended an economic development hearing in Albany where much of the discussion centered on the available economic development and support programs.

Blankenbush commended the efforts of Empire State Development and the Small Business Development Centers.

“Empire State Development and Small Business Development Centers do some great work, but half the battle is getting the word out there that these programs exist for entrepreneurs,” said Blankenbush, an experienced small businessman. “I think they do great work, and I am happy to support them, but what I am most concerned about are the stumbling blocks that remain in the way of economic revitalization like taxes and excessive red tape and regulations. Albany will have to address it thoroughly in the coming legislative session.”

Blankenbush said that New York is said to have the worst climate in which to conduct business, according to several business climate indexes. He cited the high costs of doing business, which he said were caused by a progressive personal income tax and runaway unfunded mandates that have ramped up local property taxes, and seemingly endless layers of red tape created by the alphabet soup of agencies and regulatory bodies small businesses, manufacturers and working farms have to contend with.

“New York is no longer in the position to just let these problems slide, we need to be aggressively proactive to get government out of the way of economic and job growth in the North Country and throughout the state,” the assemblyman said.

Blankenbush represents the 122nd District, which includes most of St. Lawrence County except Canton, Potsdam and St. Lawrence River communities.