Begins Laying Out “Ideas To Reclaim America” As Clear Alternative To Washington
Miami, FL – Today, at a town hall meeting in Tampa, U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio made the first in a series of proposals to reclaim America’s future by offering a clear alternative to the anti-growth, anti-job creation economic policies coming out of Washington. America is the greatest country in the world, but Washington has been taken over by big spending politicians from both parties who will say or do anything to get elected. Marco is the only candidate who will challenge the direction they’re taking our country.
“As Americans, we have reached a point in our history when we must decide if we are to continue on the free market, limited government path that has made us exceptional, or if we are prepared to follow the rest of the world down the road of government dependency. It is a clear choice between two very different futures, and I believe the American people are prepared to make the tough, but necessary, choices to ensure future generations enjoy unrivaled levels of job growth, freedom, security and prosperity,” said Rubio.
Furthermore, we need real leadership to ensure that Florida’s Gulf Coast recovers economically from the oil spill. Instead, we get Washington-style gimmicks like a special session to ban something that’s already illegal under Florida law. The governor’s constitutional amendment won’t help one small business keep their doors open, save one job, or speed-up one economic claim from BP. Marco’s ideas to help the Gulf Coast are derived from the town hall meetings he has held with Panhandle residents, officials and employers over the last month.
To foster a pro-growth economic environment in Florida and across our country, Marco has put forth 23 simple ideas:
Marco’s 12 Simple Ways To Grow Our Economy:
• IDEA #1: Permanently Extend The 2001 And 2003 Tax Cuts: Allowing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts to sunset would be the largest tax increase in American history, and would fundamentally harm small businesses, which are the job creators in our economy. If we do not make these tax cuts permanent, the child tax credit will fall, the marriage penalty will be re-imposed, working families and small businesses will see their income tax rates jump, capital gains and dividends will increase, and the death tax will return to a prohibitive 55 percent.
• IDEA #2: Cut Taxes On American Businesses. More than any other tax, the corporate tax hurts economic growth and reduces living standards. Unfortunately, the United States has the second highest corporate tax rate of any advanced industrial economy. By cutting this tax, we can spur job creation in America and build a more competitive economic environment to attract businesses from across the world.
• IDEA #3: Permanently End The Death Tax. The death tax, which is set to rise from zero to 55% in 2011, will discourage saving and investment while undermining job creation and income growth, when we need them most.
• IDEA #4: Ending Double Taxation. Washington shouldn’t be able to tax the same income two or three times. That means no more job-destroying double taxation of capital gains, dividends or death.
• IDEA #5: Reform the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). If nothing is done to fix the AMT, taxes will spike dramatically for over 28 million families. Relying on yearly congressional action to keep the AMT current with inflation is risky and sends a message of uncertainty to millions of American families. The AMT is an onerous tax that we should be repealed when possible but at the very least, we should immediately index it to inflation.
• IDEA #6: Fundamentally Reform The U.S. Tax Code. The current tax code hinders economic growth. Too many years of special interest lobbying and class warfare politics have cemented it as anti-family, anti-jobs and anti-competitive. The U.S. should have a tax system that is simpler, fairer and promotes economic growth. We should start moving toward being able to pay our taxes with a single rate on paper the size of a postcard.
• IDEA #7: Stop The Value-Added Tax. Democrats know they cannot fund their spending ambitions without a giant new tax. Some have sought to impose a valued-added tax in addition to the income and payroll taxes already in place. This would subject American taxpayers to European levels of taxation, depriving workers of a substantial portion of their take-home pay and further burdening the economy. For the U.S. to retain its vibrant and dynamic economy, we must block efforts to dramatically increase the government’s share of the economic pie.
• IDEA #8: Repeal And Replace ObamaCare. We must repeal ObamaCare and replace it with common-sense reforms that will actually lower health care expenses for American families and businesses like allowing people to buy health insurance across state lines, encouraging the use of electronic medical records and requiring transparency in health care costs.
• IDEA #9: Prevent A National Energy Tax. The cap-and trade plan proposed by Democrats in Washington will substantially raise energy costs and result in countless lost jobs.
• IDEA #10: Oppose Efforts To Strip Away Workers’ Right To A Secret Ballot. By eliminating secret-ballot union elections, the deceptively named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), or “card check,” would fundamentally violate the freedom of workers and result in lost jobs.
• IDEA #11: Halt Regulations That Are Hurting Job Creation. Too often, government regulation does not provide effective oversight and only hurts job creation in America. We should streamline regulations to help foster economic growth while providing proper oversight. We need to rein in out-of-control federal agencies, stop any effort by the Environmental Protection Agency to back door a cap-and-trade system and remove regulatory barriers to the flow of credit from community bankers to small businesses.
• IDEA #12: Promote Economic Growth And Job Creation Through Trade. We must continue reducing barriers to free and fair trade. We should adopt the free trade agreements that have already been negotiated with Colombia, Panama, South Korea and other nations around the world. We should also insist that other countries reduce their own barriers to trade so that American goods can find new markets.
Marco’s 11 Simple Ways To Help The Gulf Coast Economy Recover:
• IDEA #1: Make The Claims Process Simpler, Transparent And Efficient (Idea From July 1st Town Hall). The filing and payment of claims will not end when the leaking well is finally capped. Throughout the foreseeable future, businesses and individuals will be seeking to recoup losses and the process, as currently conducted, is broken. As a U.S. Senator, Marco will ensure that the claims process is simpler, transparent and efficient, and that when Gulf constituents leave the claims office, they will do so with clear expectations of when and what funding amounts they will receive from claims.
• IDEA #2: Pass A Gulf Opportunity Zone. Similar to the GO Zone Act that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005, this zone would provide targeted tax relief and authorize the establishment of bonds focused on recovery. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) proposed this plan to President Obama last month and introduced legislation on July 1.
• IDEA #3: Start An Economic Development Fund. The lack of tourists driving, flying and spending money will cause seemingly unrelated businesses to fail due to the region’s complex economy. As noted in the Pensacola News-Journal, it will be nearly impossible to “make it right” to all those who have been adversely impacted by the oil spill. This is why we need to call for the establishment of a Gulf region Economic Development Fund. BP should commit a significant amount of funds that, immediately and over time, will go toward rehabilitating and investing in the region as a whole. Delivered directly to county Economic Development Councils, these dollars would be used to recruit new employers, give residents an opportunity to start their own small business, develop incubation programs and prompt existing businesses to expand.
• IDEA #4: Sales Tax Partial Holiday. We should allow businesses in affected areas to keep a portion of the sales tax they generate. BP would be responsible for all lost tax revenues.
• IDEA #5: Property Tax Relief. For homes and businesses that see their property values diminished, assessed values should go down as well. All lost property tax revenue should be reimbursed by BP.
• IDEA #6: Make Claims Checks Tax Exempt. The Gulf Oil Spill Relief Fund is designed to help those whose economic well-being and revenue has been impacted. Similar to legislation after September 11, the federal government should act immediately so that Floridians and the people of the Gulf Coast receive a full gross relief check. BP should cover any tax losses.
• IDEA #7: Small Business Administration (SBA) Reform (Idea From July 1st Town Hall). Through its disaster loan program, the SBA is accustomed to dealing in the shorter-term to assist in business recovery, but this oil spill response will be longer and much more involved than usual disasters. The SBA needs to recognize this and adapt its processes and policies. An example of a flaw in the process is the SBA offering one-year deferments on all approved loans to affected businesses. It is likely that the spill’s clean-up and response will be ongoing when loan payments start coming due. A common-sense alternative is for the deferment to begin, if requested by the lendee, when the spill is certified to have been cleaned-up.
• IDEA #8: Support Bipartisan Relief Efforts (Idea From July 1st Town Hall). The Senate package of tax breaks would go towards those hit hard by the oil spill. Ranging from tax deferrals to the extension of the net operating loss (NOL) carryback period, these breaks would go a long way to helping the region rebound.
• IDEA #9: Stop Foreclosures For Those Affected. People adversely affected by the oil spill should not have to worry about losing their homes. Congressmen Miller and Adam Putnam (R-FL) have put forth a bill that would allow for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide forbearance for those sustaining economic losses due to the oil spill and to evaluate what resources and programs available within the agency could provide further assistance.
• IDEA #10: Relax Onerous Fishing Bag Limits And Seasons. Recreational, for-hire charter and commercial fishing is an important driver to the Gulf economy. Beyond a robust commercial fishing industry, many businesses, hotels, and restaurants depend on the visitor traffic created by those seeking adventure off the Florida coast through deep-sea or back-bay sportfishing. Yet reckless, inflexible regulations imposed upon anglers by fishery oversight bodies have often served as a death nail to communities reliant upon sportfishing and related tourism. Last year, we witnessed the dramatic impact of an abrupt closure of the Amberjack fishing season right in midst of the economically important Destin Fishing Rodeo. We need to stop placing knee-jerk policies ahead of fishermen’s livelihoods merely because well-funded outside groups push for such policies to further their self-interested agendas. When it is safe to do so for the next two years, we need to focus on opening our waters with relaxed quotas for all fishing.
• IDEA #11: Tourist Development Council (TDC) Reserves (Idea From July 1st Town Hall). We should access TDC reserves to provide local businesses with tax relief or credits. BP would reimburse the TDCs for used reserves. In addition, any money given by BP for TDC advertising should have spending deadlines that are flexible and long-term.
