For the NACS Magazine column "The Big Question," NACS spoke with Ray Huff, the president of HJB Convenience.
What was your experience like representing the industry on Capitol Hill—and why is it so important to preserve the 199A deduction?
Through NACS, I was invited to represent not only the convenience retail industry, but all small business owners. The 199A deduction and the bonus depreciation in this case only affect pass-through corporations.
Before testifying, we actually went to see the opposition on this one. We were invited by the Republicans. Jon Taets [from NACS] said, ‘You know what, the Republicans are on board. We’ll do some meetings with them, but I’ll see if I can get some meetings with the opposition.’ And it ended up that the opposition asked more questions of me than the side that invited me, which was very interesting. We thought that was great.
In the prep for testifying on the Hill, the NACS team was fantastic. The first sheet of paper they give you says, ‘Always tell the truth.’ You don’t have to embellish. One of the representatives asked me, ‘With all that money from the 199A depreciation, you didn’t run off to Tahiti, did you?’ Well, it just so happened that I did have a trip planned to Tahiti. I said, ‘I actually am taking a trip to Tahiti, but it’s not because of 199A.’ That was the only time I actually knew there were people behind me, because they all laughed. It was a little bit of levity.
To continue reading, check out the June 2024 issue of NACS Magazine.