If anything, interest rates should be realtively low these days, but a National Small Business Association survey shows that 63% of small business owners have had the interest rates on their credit cards go up in the last year. As BusinessWeek notes , this has come at a time when small businesses are highly dependent on credit cards: As we’ve noted before, credit cards have replaced business loans for many small companies. Most business owners aren’t using credit cards for convenience and paying off the balance each month. Instead, they’re using credit card debt to fund operations and investments: 60% of business owners surveyed reported carrying a monthly balance, with 37% carrying $10,000 or more. For one in three businesses, credit card debt accounted for at least 25% of the company’s overall debt. This might help explain the NSBA's pushing a small business amendment to the Credit Card Act of 2009 currenlty working its way through Congress. Read the full NSBA report here .