Urges Chavez-DeRemer to denounce job-killing PRO Act and support a joint employer standard that will protect the franchise model and provide much-needed stability after four years of uncertainty and hostile policies

Board would have power to issue sweeping new regulations on a wide range of businesses, harming the franchise small business community and all those who benefit from it

Award recognizes an outstanding brand with less than 10 years in franchising at annual Emerging Franchisor Conference

Ruling follows IFA and business group coalition challenge

The International Franchise Association (IFA) today urged the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, the top congressional tax writing committee, to consider a number of provisions critical to franchised small businesses during the forthcoming tax debate. In a formal letter to the committee, IFA shared its key priorities as major tax changes approach at the end of 2025 with the expiration of many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

Pledges to work with the incoming administration and Congress on extending pro-small business tax policies and preventing federal overreach into the franchise model

In formal comments to the Federal Trade Commission™s (FTC) re-opened Request for Information (RFI) on franchisor practices and franchise agreements, the International Franchise Association (IFA) urged the FTC to respect the boundaries of the authority and adhere to its rulemaking requirements, all of which were disregarded by the FTC™s recent Policy Statement and Staff Guidance. The comments further highlight the damage potential regulation could have for viability of the entire franchise business model.

The final rule on negative options is the latest troubling example of this power-hungry FTC leaping without looking, said Michael Layman, IFA senior vice president of government relations and public affairs. The FTC has not conducted an empirical cost-benefit analysis to assess the proposed rule™s impact on small businesses, and yet it has hastily imposed this unnecessarily regulation that will hurt many franchise businesses and consumers alike by robbing them of convenience, time savings, a streamlined transaction experience, and lower costs. The rule not only disrupts a process that is working for the benefit of both consumers and small business owners, but also adds another layer of complexity into a system of billing already regulated by a host of federal and state regulations.