Starting a business and operating a business are profoundly difficult activities with no government regulations, but with them it becomes nearly impossible to do everything correctly. I have firsthand experience with the difficult & confusing government regulations on entrepreneurs.
Entrenched bureaucracies like the Washington State Department of Revenue and the Washington State Secretary of State’s office do not have to answer to anyone and extremely tough to figure out what forms to file, when to file them and even how to submit them. Their websites are absolute garbage, full of confusing nonsense and though they do allow e-filing for certain forms they don’t allow it for many important things. Certain forms can only be submitted via mail or in person.
I have been doing my best to comply with all the laws and regulations on businesses, but it is a never-ending morass that only becomes more confusing the deeper you dive into it. I know many businesspeople who choose to skirt around the regulations altogether or just ignore them, but I would like to grow my business and follow the rules correctly. It’s ridiculous that to even close a business you must file documents with three separate organizations (Department of Revenue and the Secretary of State and the business’s registered agent).
America was built upon freedom and small government principles and the further away we get from that, the harder it becomes to have a successful business that contributes to the economy and society. The poorly run businesses are now able to continue dominating markets by making corrupt deals with politicians (Goldman Sachs- AIG – Fannie Mae – Freddie Mac – Citigroup – GM – Delphi – Boeing etc), while great small businesses are kept down because of a lack of political power.
If you want America’s economy to grow & prosper, remove the fetters on starting new businesses and operating existing businesses. Quit stealing money from successful companies and taxpayers to finance corrupt broken companies (especially the ones listed above). Let the free market work and watch efficient companies replace bad ones.
Remove restrictions on starting new businesses.
One more note: restrictions on starting general small businesses are harsh, but restrictions on starting businesses in certain government protected industries makes it nearly impossible for fresh competition to introduce groundbreaking products and more efficiency. These industries include aircraft/space manufacturing, medicine, banking and insurance.