Everyone agrees that full economic recovery can only begin when small businesses start to thrive once again. Eighty percent of hiring in the U.S. is by small businesses. Almost all tax revenue is generated by business activity.

Locally, businesses are already facing substantial increases in water and sewer rates, as well as potential increases in unemployment benefit contributions. Another rise in the local mandated minimum wage would effectively be another tax on hiring additional entry-level staff, which mostly affects youth who are already facing a dismal employment future.

Freezing the current minimum at $9.85 an hour for the next fiscal year because of the deflationary economy is a good start. The City, however, should consider amendments to its current ordinance to exempt those under 18 from its minimum-wage law. This amendment would assist the youth in finding jobs and employers would be encouraged to hire more youth. We need to find incentives for hiring, and an amendment is in order.

State lawmakers are having to make some very difficult decisions in order to balance the budget. Businesses must not be constrained by additional taxes, fees or regulations. Every dollar of increased cost minimizes the potential for a new job to be created. In addition, every hour that a businessperson spends filling out forms is an hour not devoted to growing business.

Job creation is the only real long-term solution to meeting our many challenges, and small businesses must be encouraged to continue to create those necessary jobs. An individual who has a job is much less likely to commit crime, fall into alcohol or drug dependency, get involved in domestic violence or contribute to teenage pregnancy.

All of us involved in job creation in some way, be it as an employer or as an organization, are helping to create prosperity, opportunities and direction for a healthy community. In this current declining economic climate, the primary responsibility of government should be to support job creation. Only with a healthy business climate can we generate taxes that pay for all the social benefits we enjoy and demand of our government.

Small businesses create the golden eggs we need to survive and to succeed. Let's not kill the golden goose with more of the same hindrances imposed by government.

No business = no jobs = no taxes = no prosperity.

Simon Brackley is president and CEO of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.