Business owners: It's tough out there - By Carol Coultas, SunJournal, ME
"Insurance companies look at me as a cash cow," he continued. "Why am I paying workers' compensation rates the same as companies that remove asbestos?"
And to make matters worse, there are so many illicit contractors who do similar work under the table, they are pushing legitimate contractors out of business.
"I've been pushed out of the Bethel market completely," said Gagnon, who added that suspect subcontractors are not paying payroll taxes or other costs of doing business. "I'm doing everything on the up and up and I have to wonder ... do I have 'sucker' on my forehead?"