The IWCA Convention and Trade Show returned to the Trade Winds Island Resort at St. Pete Beach, Florida for 2013, drawing one of its biggest crowds in several years. Held February 13-16 under a mixture of sun, clouds and rain, the event attracted 433 people including 341 window cleaners and 92 exhibitor personnel, according to Convention Committee Chair Matt Pierce who credited the turnout to an improving economy, the location, and the return to the regular trade show. AWC Magazine found the event upbeat in all regards based on interviews with exhibitors and window cleaners. In addition to the latest products, this report also presents a snapshot of the state of the North American window cleaning industry.(...)
The so-called "Fiscal Cliff" tax package recently passed by Congress and signed into law renewed more than 50 temporary tax breaks through 2013, saving individuals and businesses an estimated $76 billion. On the downside, employees are already finding less in their paychecks because the American Taxpayer Relief Act failed to extend the payroll tax holiday that had reduced Social Security payroll deductions from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent on earned income up to the Social Security wage base ($113,700 for 2013). It is a similar story for the self-employed window cleaners.(...)
• Years of heated debate and political drama later, it would finally appear as though health care reform is here to stay. Following the affirmation by the Supreme Court of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and the reelection of President Barack Obama last November, any reversal of or significant changes to the new health care law appear unlikely. So what comes next? Those who were expecting to see an immediate and significant difference in the way they obtain health care (or, in an employer's case, in the way they deliver a health plan to employees) may have been disappointed: the timeline for implementation of the law's more relevant provisions extends into 2014 and beyond. Nevertheless, there are several provisions worth noting that have already been put into effect, and there are "likely scenarios" worth discussing that are certain to impact the majority of American businesses and health care consumers in the near future. (...)