June 2012, Volume 8, Issue 6, www.manhattan.org
A publication of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce
Disaster Planning - Why Be Prepared? Because your employees, students and community count on you.
Contact us: 501 Poyntz Avenue Manhattan,KS,66502-6005 785-776-8829 phone 785-776-0679 fax chamber@manhattan.org www.manhattan.orgTDD Kansas Relay Center: 800-766-3777
Ready Rating:A FREE service from the American Red Cross. The program that helps businesses, schools and organizations become prepared for disasters and other emergencies. All in one place. Did you know? • 15-40% of businesses fail following a natural or man-made disaster. • 50% of businesses have an emergency evacuation plan. • 20% of businesses have an emergency response plan.
Chamber Facts - Did You Know? Did You Know? On average, members post 100 jobs/ month with Nationjob.com. From Sept.2010 to Sept. 2011,via NationJob, our member’s posted 3,062 position openings and received 15,637 resumes. Call the Chamber today and learn more about how Nationjob.com can help your business. Did You Know? The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce includes 856 members, representing 16,568 employees. 92% have fewer than 50 employees;85% have fewer than 25 employees and 70% have fewer than 10 employees. Did You Know? In 2011,627 members volunteered their time & energy on behalf of Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce committees. Become a volunteer. Becoming an active member maximizes your invest ment in the Chamber of Commerce and increases your leadership skills. Your volunteer involvement assures you a role in the future of Manhattan and the surrounding region.
Why Prepare? Disasters happen. At home, at work, even at school. With a preparedness plan in place, your business, organization or school can: Minimize losses during an emergency Having an emergency plan in place allows you to respond more quickly and efficiently to contain costly situations. Enhance productivity The Ready Rating Program offers tools and resources to help employees;faculty and staff become prepared at home, enabling them to return to work faster.
Gain trust By being proactive about emergency preparedness, your business, organization or school demonstrates a commitment to not only your employees and students but also the community as a whole. The Red Cross Ready Rating Program can guide a business, organization or school with simple, measurable steps to become better prepared for emergencies. The Red Cross has information, tools and resources to assist in improving disaster readiness. For more information,visit readyrating.org or call (877) 715-0123.
Governor Signs Major Tax Cuts into Law Governor Sam Brownback signed HB 2117 into law at a statehouse ceremony on May 22, 2012. This bill, which includes one of the largest income tax cuts in our state’s history, was met with criticism by some legislators and praise by others.
The bill’s main components are: • Individual Income Tax Reduction – collapses the current three-bracket structure for individual income taxes (3.5,6.25 and 6.45% respectively) into a two-bracket system using rates of 3.0 and 4.9%.
According to Governor Brownback’s office, projections show the new law will result in 22,900 new jobs, give $2 billion more in disposable income to Kansans and increase population by 35,740,all in addition to the normal growth rate of the state. Opponents are concerned the tax cuts could cause a budget deficit of over $2.5 billion by 2018.
• Business Income Exemption – eliminates certain non-wage business income for over 190,000 small business owners (income reported by LLC’s, Subchapter-S Corporations and sole proprietorships). • Standard Deductions – increases the standard deduction for single headof-household filers from $4,500 to $9,000; and for
married taxpayers filing jointly from $6,000 to $9,000. There are additional pieces to this legislation such as repeal of certain tax credits, Homestead Property Tax Refund eligibility, and other income tax provisions. More information can be found on the Kansas Department of Revenue’s website, www.ksrevenue.org. The bill, Senate Substitute for House Bill 2117,passed the Senate by a vote of 29-11 and the House by a vote of 64-59.