Several recent elections have proven the theory that every vote does count, whether you are thinking of our last gubernatorial race or others.

A question I am often asked by employers and employees alike is “What do elections mean to me and my business?” I want to address this issue — it gets quite complicated, so for now I will focus on a few key issues:

Tax burden

Let’s start with the current tax burden on businesses. According to the Council on State Taxation, Washington ranks 14th nationally in this regard, and depending on how you measure this, results could differ.

Another group recently stated we are actually lower since we have import and export dollars as well as tourists who pay taxes and therefore lessen the burden. One of the taxes that affects all businesses is the business and occupation (B&O) tax, which is taken whether you are making a profit or not. Some like to refer to these taxes as “fees,” but that is just another way to avoid calling it a tax increase. There will be pressure in the coming months to increase the tax burden on employers via payroll and other taxes to solve the shortfall Washington state is facing.

Health care crisis

Nearly every employer, regardless of size, wants the luxury of providing their employees with adequate health care coverage.

Employers strive for this for a number of reasons, the most important being they value their employees and want to retain them and maintain a healthy workforce. The task becomes more challenging when, year after year, we face double-digit increases. The result is often a change in coverage, including higher deductibles, less coverage and other effects until employers either decide it’s too costly to provide the coverage, or they are forced to switch to savings accounts or other ways of protecting their employees.

Economic slowdown

The current economy has slowed while prices of goods, services and the cost of shipping have increased dramatically; some prices have increased 30 percent or more. So, while consumers are pinched via the mortgage meltdown and spending less, the cost of doing business has increased dramatically, causing what could be called a “perfect storm” — very dangerous if you are in the storm.

Washington state is facing a $2.7 billion shortfall this budget year; if nothing is fixed this shortfall will grow to over $5 billion in 2011. The health care crisis and spending on education take up a vast majority of the state budget; typically the headlines and political advertisements will be centered around 5 percent of the budget instead of what is at the heart of the real issue.

Regardless of which study or article you read, the majority of the tax burden lies on the shoulders of the employers. In huge economic slowdowns such as what we are experiencing now, this can stress employers greatly. The cost of goods is increasing at alarming rates; gas prices, food prices and health care costs have increased at double digits again this year. Governments are feeling the economic pinch so will swiftly be increasing taxes and fees for businesses in order to avoid taxing the individuals who pull the levers at the ballot box.

Whether you are an employer or employee, you hold the power to vote. Use your influence wisely and help us turn this economy.

Here are some tools I believe will help you streamline some of the information that is out there and get to the heart of the matter. The Federal Way Chamber of Commerce has partnered with a few organizations we believe will serve you with accurate information and assist you:

1. Enterprise Washington has a program called the “Grow Program” (www.growwa.com), which is a coalition of Washington state businesses, associations and private sector organizations who came together to provide businesses and their employees with this interactive, Web-based tool to help employees easily identify and locate their elected state and congressional lawmakers. When employers and employees are informed on issues that affect their jobs and quality of life, they can help encourage their elected officials to vote.

2. WashACE (www.washace.org) stands for Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy, which is working to build economic opportunities for all Washingtonians. At a recent Federal Way Chamber of Commerce membership luncheon, we heard Richard Davis speak about some of the policies they are focusing on for the coming year. They provide research which helps shape policies for positive solutions.

Both organizations are non-partisan efforts providing valuable information to help employers and employees shape the decisions they will make at the ballot box. We have the power of grass-roots at our fingertips; let’s organize and make a difference.

Tom Pierson is CEO of the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce. Contact: tomp@federalwaychamber.com or www.voiceofsouthsound.com/.