For the second time in the last 15 months, NACS Board Member and President of HJB Convenience, Raymond Huff, was invited by Congress to testify on the benefits of renewing the tax provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) which were set to expire at the end of the year for small businesses.
The invitation came from the House Ways and Means Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over tax policy in the House, for a field hearing they were conducting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on July 26.
When Huff last testified, it was before the House Small Business Committee in April 2024, when he told the Committee about the importance of renewing and making permanent the key small business tax provisions of the TCJA.
The Ways and Means hearing came just weeks after the President signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which permanently extended the main provisions which NACS had advocated for. The provisions were for the 199A qualified business income deduction, 100% bonus depreciation, higher limits on the deductibility of business interest payments and estate tax relief.
In his testimony, Huff told the story of his career and how the tax provisions in the bill were helpful to keep his business going. He noted that, while he had to close two-thirds of his stores during the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the investments in self-checkout technology that he made prior because of the TCJA tax provisions allowed his business to survive.
“These tax provisions mean I can be profitable next year, and keep it going,” said Huff. “That certainty is the key to allowing me to expand in the first place.”
Huff’s appearance continues a tradition of legislators seeking NACS’ expertise. In the past handful of years, NACS has had several of its members and staff testify before Congressional Committees. These committees include the House Energy and Commerce Committee, House Oversight Committee, House Small Business Committee, House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee.
The appearances have covered policy issues relating to taxes, swipe fees, privacy, motor fuel and electric vehicle regulation, liability protection for Covid and daylight savings time. NACS members and staff have also testified before more than a half-dozen state legislative committees on topics including the regulation of tobacco and nicotine products and swipe fees.
Read more about Huff’s previous testimony in the February 2025 issue of NACS Magazine feature “Advocacy in Action."