{"id":18188,"date":"2025-07-05T08:40:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-05T15:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.probeauty.org\/?p=18188"},"modified":"2025-07-04T20:02:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T03:02:29","slug":"beauty-industry-congress-listened-fica-tip-credit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.probeauty.org\/beauty-industry-congress-listened-fica-tip-credit\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Desk of Leslie Perry: The Beauty Industry Spoke\u2014And Congress Finally Listened"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When I first joined PBA, I heard one phrase repeated over and over again by Members: <em>\u201cWe love what we do\u2014but we\u2019re tired of being overlooked.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For years, our industry has shown up\u2014creating jobs, building small businesses, contributing billions to the economy. Yet we were left out of the very policies designed to support service-based professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But today, we can say something different:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Congress listened.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After nearly two decades of effort, the FICA Tip Tax Credit is finally law. That sentence feels surreal to type\u2014and deeply emotional to say out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a moment of <em>validation <\/em>for every salon owner who paid taxes on income they never received. For every business that ran leaner than it should have because federal policy left you out. For every stylist, barber, spa professional, and student who\u2019s wondered whether this industry would ever be seen for what it truly is: <em>essential, entrepreneurial, and economically powerful.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>This victory wasn\u2019t luck. It was strategy. It was persistence.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>And at the center of it all were Myra Reddy and Kati Rapoza\u2014the PBA Government Affairs team that refused to give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They led this fight across multiple sessions of Congress, working with three different lobbying firms, navigating endless Hill meetings, late-night strategy calls, and missed family moments\u2014all because they believed that beauty professionals deserved better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They didn\u2019t just represent our industry. They carried it forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I want to personally thank Myra and Kati for their tireless leadership and sacrifice. This win is a direct result of their shared vision, strategic brilliance, and unshakable determination. Their names will forever be linked to this moment in our industry\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, this work wasn\u2019t done alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PBA Members gave us staying power. You gave us credibility. You gave us the ability to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>This is what advocacy looks like.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes time. It takes trust. It takes a united front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And now, because of that work, salon, spa and barbershop owners across the country will see real, financial change. They\u2019ll finally receive the same tax credit restaurant owners have had for decades. They\u2019ll be able to reinvest in their teams, their education, and their futures. That\u2019s not just policy\u2014that\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>To every PBA Member: Thank you. This win belongs to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you\u2019re not yet a Member\u2014<strong>now is the time.<\/strong> The beauty industry just proved what\u2019s possible when we come together with purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re not done. We\u2019re just getting started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With gratitude and pride,<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong><strong>Leslie Perry<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>Executive Director<br>Professional Beauty Association<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Join the Movement<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Be part of the association that fights for your future.<br>When you support PBA, you help us keep professional beauty professional.\u00a0\u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3O3FZa5\">JOIN TODAY<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When I first joined PBA, I heard one phrase repeated over and over again by Members: \u201cWe love what we&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":18189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[100,62],"tags":[106,107],"insight_type":[80],"class_list":["post-18188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","category-blogs-news","tag-advocacy","tag-government-affairs","insight_type-news-posts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Beauty Industry Spoke\u2014And Congress Listened | Professional Beauty Association<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a powerful message from PBA Executive Director Leslie Perry, the passage of the FICA Tip Tax Credit is celebrated as a moment of validation, impact, and industry unity. 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