Could increasing minimum wage hurt small businesses?

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - One local business owner says if the minimum wage goes up, meeting his payroll budget could be a challenge. In fact, he says he may have to let some of his employees go.

"It would probably result in less man power hours," Market Square Lanes owner Ron Taylor said.

Taylor said if the minimum wage goes up the number of people he employs may go down.

"It's one of the things that as small business owners we hate to do because we have relationships with these people, but from our standpoint it's a matter of survival," Taylor said. "This is as old as I can remember and it's a true statement, 'Government always wants more.' They always have and they always will, and they always assume small business has more to give."

Taylor said since 2008 when the economy took a turn he's downsized his business by nearly 50 percent and now 25 percent of the people he employs are Purdue students making minimum wage.

After President Barack Obama made the announcement in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night that he wants to increase minimum wage from $7.25 to $9, the small business owner said he's afraid more jobs may be in jeopardy.
    
U.S. Senator Dan Coats said instead of changing minimum wage putting pro-business policies in place and tax reforms is the better option.

"When you raise the minimum wage a lot of employers at these entry levels don't do as much hiring, so simply just mandating something from Washington again to the private sector doesn't solve our problem," Coats said.

As for small businesses Taylor said cutting man hours will take a toll on what makes our local economy so unique.

'You're going to continue to see small businesses, mom and pop businesses, neighborhood businesses continue to fail," Taylor said.

President Obama says he'd like to see minimum wage at $9 an hour by 2015.