Pittsburgh – Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett today announced the fourth key component of his economic development and jobs plan at H&K Equipment, Inc., a full service material handling equipment company based in Coraopolis, Pa. Speaking to employees, Tom Corbett detailed his plan to embrace small businesses in Pennsylvania and help them to provide good, family sustaining jobs.
Corbett detailed “Growing Small Business in Pennsylvania,” a plan that works to jump start economic growth for small businesses and make job creation a top priority in Pennsylvania. With nearly 237,000 small businesses across the Commonwealth, Tom Corbett understands they are an integral part of our economy.
“Small-business owners are facing great economic difficulties with Pennsylvania’s current business climate,” Corbett said. “They will not commit themselves to investing in new job and facility growth until their earnings improve and they feel more confident about the overall economic and policy climate in Pennsylvania. My plan is an important step toward that goal.”
Corbett detailed his small business plan during a tour of H&K Equipment, Inc. He has been traveling the state detailing separate aspects of his seven-point economic development and jobs plan, which includes:
- Expanding Pennsylvania’s Economy Through Innovation
- Reforming Pennsylvania’s Jobs Climate
- Strengthening Pennsylvania’s Regional Economies
- Growing Small Business in Pennsylvania
- Harnessing Entrepreneurial Leadership from Higher Education
- Developing a World-class Workforce
- Expanding Pennsylvania Worldwide
Tom Corbett understands how the economy has impacted small business owners in Pennsylvania. With more than 200,000 small businesses in Pennsylvania, these employers account for nearly 50 percent of the state’s private sector jobs. However, countless economic surveys show that small-business sales, earnings and capital spending are at record lows, and small-business optimism continues to decline.
“For far too long, state government has been an adversary in job growth,” Corbett noted. Small business owners continue to be alarmed by the proposals being debated in Harrisburg and Washington that would raise the cost of their business operations, including higher taxes, new labor mandates and healthcare. To truly rebound our economy and not only grow new jobs, but also keep the ones we have – it is time for change in Pennsylvania.”
The highlights of the plan include:
- Designate a Small Business Advocate within the Department of Community and Economic Development to help small businesses by managing cross-agency coordination of small business advocates and programs.
- Streamline and simplify the tax code and compliance process. This would cut some of the red tape that often forces employers, tax preparers and payroll services to make multiple tax filings of the same information.
- Develop a Small Business Portal to consolidate the collection and reporting of all wage reporting into a single business portal.
- Instituting regulatory flexibility for small business to give small business owners a voice when regulations are formulated.
- Grow investing opportunities by ensuring consistency between state and federal laws to encourage small businesses growth and job creation in Pennsylvania.
- Repeal the Inheritance Tax, also known as the “Death Tax,” to save many small businesses and family farms.
Tom Corbett has been personally visiting businesses across the state that are vital to Pennsylvania’s economy. H&K Equipment, Inc. embodies the strength of small business that will help to make Pennsylvania a leader in the global economy. H&K Equipment, Inc. is a provider of a broad range of services for material handling and industrial cleaning equipment. Their services range from new and used truck sales, leasing and rentals to service, parts and remanufacturing. H&K Equipment, Inc. has been an integral part of the lift truck market in the Pittsburgh area since 1935 and also sells and supports a complete line of sweepers, scarifiers, and scrubbers for all industrial and commercial cleaning needs.
Tom Corbett’s detailed plan to grow small business in Pennsylvania is available online. For additional information about Tom Corbett and his vision for Pennsylvania, visit www.tomcorbettforgovernor.com.
