A balanced budget the biggest concern for Utah business owners

The federal budget deficit and a struggling job market are at the top of a list of concerns for small businesses in Utah, according to a recent study from George Washington University and Thumbtack.com.

A quarter of all Utah small-business owners who responded to the survey, released earlier this month, said the federal budget deficit is their “most important economic issue” in their choice for president, according to the study.

Unemployment followed the budget deficit on the list of concerns, with 16 percent saying it’s their most important issue.

“Being a business that would be considered by most to be a luxury dependent business, the best thing the government could do to help my business is to help the general public by bringing up the unemployment rate and by reducing the deficit, so that more people would be able to afford my services,” an anonymous respondent said in the survey.

Health care costs also ranked high in concerns for Utah’s small-business owners, according to the study.

Nationally, small-business owners are most concerned about the job market, with 27 percent of respondents saying unemployment is their biggest concern.

One in five respondents among both Republicans and Democrats are still unsure about which candidate will be the most supportive of small businesses, according to the study.

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