Main Street's Tax Worries Just Fell to Their Lowest Since 2022. Now Fix Its Worker Shortage and Fuel Bills
The NFIB's September survey, released Oct. 13, shows small-business optimism at 97.9, a hair under its 52-year average, with taxes and red tape fading as complaints while labor shortages and inflation climb. In our view, that is a good sign for the tax cuts; the next fight is workers and energy costs.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 13, 2026 | 6-min read Ask the owner of a machine shop, a hardware store or a family farm what keeps them up at night, and you will get a straighter answer than any economist can give you. On Tuesday, the National Federation of Independent Business published those answers for September. The headline Small Business Optimism Index slipped 0.8 points to 97.9, one-tenth of a point below its 52-year average of 98.0 [1]. But the details matter more than the headline. Taxes, as owners' single most important problem, fell to 11%, the lowest since December 2022 [1]. Finding qualified workers topped the list for the third straight month, and inflation jumped to second [1]. In our view, that is a strong signal that the tax relief is landing, and that Washington's next job is workers and energy costs. Key Takeaways Optimism Index: 97.9 in September, down 0.8 points; Uncertainty Index up 1 point to 90, versus a historical average of 68 [1]. Labor quality or availability was the top problem for 26% of owners; inflation for 20%, up 4 points [1]. Taxes as the top problem fell 5 points to 11%, the lowest