Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/288177
www.BoatingIndustry.com www.BoatingIndustry.com 14 | Boating Industry | April 2014 MONTHLY RESEARCH facturers, suppliers and others via the Internet in February. More than 60 percent said they consider government and regulatory issues to be very important to their company's success. All told, 90 percent said these issues are at least somewhat important to their success. For an update on some of the hot issues, you can read more starting on p. 22. Taxes, Obamacare and Ethanol The survey results show that three major issues are top of mind for most in the industry: tax policy, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and ethanol. Nearly 60 percent of respondents named one of those three issues as the single most important to their business, with taxes and healthcare at 20 percent each narrowly edg- ing out ethanol at 19 percent. Environmental regulations, at 14 percent, was the only other issue cited by more than 10 percent. Obamacare seems to present the most interesting case when it comes to how impor- tant the issue is to the industry. Sixty-seven percent said they are very concerned about the impact of Obamacare on their business, the highest level of any issue. At the same time, 10 percent said they are not concerned at all, one of the highest levels for that category. Most likely, this refl ects smaller companies that the law does not apply to. When it comes to ethanol, 63 percent are very concerned about it, while 96 percent are at least somewhat concerned. Tax policy rounds out the top three again, with 81 percent very concerned about it and 97 percent at least somewhat concerned. Of least concern was is- sues related to fi shery management and invasive species. (See the chart for the full breakdown.) Hurting growth More than two-thirds of respondents said that government regulations have hurt their ability to grow their businesses in the last year We asked those who said that their business Most feel regulations, policies hurting their companies BY JONATHAN SWEET Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, said at the Miami International Boat Show that the two things that worried him most were "weather and Washington." Clearly, he's not alone as the latest Boating Industry research shows that readers are very concerned about the impact of government action on their ability to be successful in the marine industry. We surveyed dealers, marina owners, manu- Government weighing on industry growth CURRENT CONDITIONS February 46.5 January 52.8 FUTURE EXPECTATIONS February 64.3 January 68.1 BOATING INDUSTRY In our new recurring feature, we'll be tracking the optimism of Boating Industry readers to help us get a read on the industry. A reading of zero means equal numbers of people are experiencing or expect growth as contraction, so any number above zero is a positive. INDEX HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ABOUT THESE ISSUES? Very important 64% Somewhat important 26% Somewhat unimportant 5% Not important at all 5% Govt issues Affordable Care Act 20% Tax policy 20% Ethanol 19% Environmental regulations 14% Water access 9% Fishery management 6% Engine emission standards 4% Invasive species 4% Local zoning issues 4% What is the most important issue to your business? Contacted elected representative 34% Met in person with elected representative 22% Responded to "call to action" from trade association 20% Attended state legislative session 7% 4% None 13% Attended American Boating Congress HOW IMPORTANT ARE GOVERNMENT ISSUES TO YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS? WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE TO YOUR BUSINESS? WHAT ACTIONS HAVE YOU TAKEN TO TRY TO AFFECT PUBLIC POLICY? P14x15-BI14APR-MonthlyResearch.indd 14 3/13/14 4:11 PM