Treat the rich.

• Author: Howley, Kerry
• Position: Small Business Administration report, small businesses hit hard, compliance costs - Brief Article

Federal regulations are often sold as a way to rein in the biggest, most powerful corporations. Complicated accounting rules, tax requirements, and workplace regulations may eat up billions a year in compliance costs, but the alternative, it's assumed, is giant companies with unchecked power.

But some recent number-crunching by the U.S. Small Business Administration reveals that it's mom-and-pop outfits, not big box behemoths, who are hardest hit. Per employee, businesses with less than 20 workers shell out $7,647 for a...