Senator Tony Strickland Applauds Enterprise Zone Program
Says program creates jobs, reduces poverty and increases revenue for the state
(Sacramento, CA)—Senator Tony Strickland (R-Moorpark), argued in favor of the successful Enterprise Zone Tax Credit program in yesterday’s Santa Clarita Valley Signal. He joins a bipartisan coalition of state and local elected officials and more than 300 businesses and community leaders in supporting the jobs and economic benefits of the Enterprise Zone Tax Credit program.
Santa Clarita Valley Signal: Tony Strickland: Save jobs by saving the enterprise zones
There’s been very little to celebrate about California’s economy over the past few years with unemployment at record highs, businesses leaving the state in increasing numbers and annual budget deficits topping $20 billion.
One of the few bright spots has been the continued success of the state’s Enterprise Zone program.
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Without the employment and other tax credits available in the enterprise zones, it’s likely that many of these businesses would not have rented facilities, purchased equipment or hired workers. And it’s even more likely that without those tax credits, they will downsize, lay off employees or shut down all together.
In Santa Clarita alone, it’s been reported that more than 200 businesses have participated in the Enterprise Zone program, creating or retaining more than 1,900 jobs and providing opportunities for workers who otherwise would have had difficulty finding employment.
And it’s not only the businesses and workers who benefit. It’s their communities, which enjoy lower unemployment and poverty rates, increased economic activity and higher revenues.
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Rather than break our promise by imposing what amounts to nothing more than a new-jobs tax, we should get serious about cutting spending and explore ways to encourage more — not less — investment in job creation and business development in California.
A new-jobs tax won’t make a dent in the state’s budget deficit. But it will make it even harder to reduce our disgracefully high unemployment rate and to recover from the recession that continues to plague California.
By saving Enterprise Zone program, we can save jobs. The Legislature should say “thanks, but no thanks” to the governor’s jobs tax.
State Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, represents the 19th District, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Read the entire editorial here: http://www.the-signal.com/section/33/article/41437/
