From the Wall Street Journal:

Karen Port of St. Louis fears that President Barack Obama's plan to let tax rates rise for top earners will be a double whammy for her hot-tub dealership. Not only would the company—which takes in between $1 million and $3 million annually in gross sales—pay taxes at a higher rate, but the tax increases could leave less money for customers to spend on her high-end products, said Ms. Port, co-owner of Mirage Spa & Recreation, Inc. "It has a deep impact on us," said Ms. Port. "People are going to be stepping back and not wanting to purchase luxury items."

Port is among a dozen small-business owners around the country interviewed by Dow Jones Newswires who said the increase in personal tax rates could hurt their ability to make new investments or hire workers...some business owners—and even some Democratic politicians like Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota—are questioning the wisdom of doing so when unemployment remains at a discouraging 9.5%. "I am the guy who is supposed to be responsible for creating the jobs," said Ryan Robinson, co-owner of Irving, Texas-based Signal Metal Industries Inc., a maker of heavy machinery for the steel and mining industries. "When the economy is teetering, and you're worried about having a double dip [recession], is it really smart to not renew those tax cuts?" said Mr. Robinson.

...Some firm owners just want Congress to make up its mind. "It's August, and we still have so much uncertainty. How can I plan on what I want to invest next year?" said Ron Bullock, owner of St. Charles, Ill.-based Bison Gear & Engineering Corp.

To the Main Street Rocky Mount Telegram:

The down economy is no time to be placing any more expenses on businesses, local small business owners said Tuesday. Russ Barnes, an owner of Wildwood Lamp Co. on Paul Street in downtown Rocky Mount, said doing away with the tax break would be a mistake. “Taxes are just another expense,” he said. “Like a utility bill, it is an expense any business has to pay. And as expenses go up, businesses are going to be less successful, less profitable, making it more difficult to grow the business and hire more workers.” Barnes said this is the worst time to be taking money out of business owners’ pockets. “People don’t understand, if you want a job from these people, you need to help them be successful,” Barnes said.

Gus Tulloss, the owner of Gus H. Tulloss Insurance, also wants the tax cuts to stay. “Tax incentives are very helpful,” Tulloss said. “I would not like to see them go away. I am not for increasing taxes or taking away tax credits.” Tulloss, who said he did not want to comment whether he fell into the higher-income bracket, said successful businesses should not be penalized. “If you are making that kind of money, more power to you,” he said. “They are out there risking everything to do that.”

Todd Warren, an owner of Chico’s Mexican Restaurant in Rocky Mount, said Congress should not even consider repealing tax breaks until the country’s economy rebounds. “You should keep the tax cuts until the recession is done,” he said.

Tommy Benson, the owner of Night Life Bar & Grill in Rocky Mount and Benson Amusement Co., said repealing the tax breaks would hurt the economy. “I think (the tax cuts) should be permanent,” Benson said. “How are you going to create jobs when you are hurting and overtaxing the people that create jobs? That’s where jobs come from. They don’t come from government.” He said jobs are created when small business owners have a little extra money and decide to expand. “If the government takes that money away from them, they won’t have the money to expand and grow, and therefore, those (new) jobs won’t ever be created,” Benson said. “It’s the truth.”

Mary Wells, the owner of Koretizing One Hour Cleaners, said she wished her business fell into the higher-income bracket. But even though it doesn’t, she supports the tax breaks for that category of businesses. “I think everyone who has worked and made money is entitled to it,” she said.

David Combs, the owner of Century 21 The Combs Co., supports extending the tax for the higher-income bracket. He said some real estate firms that were in this category have fallen out of it due to the down economy. But imposing the higher taxes takes away an incentive to get there again, he said. “I think small businesses, unfortunately, sometimes get penalized, and if they start paying higher taxes, obviously they may be cutting back on hiring more employees and find other ways to shelter income rather than hiring employees,” he said.