Preserving jobs, putting people back to work, and creating new jobs are my top priorities. While our economic recovery has begun, it has been too slow for the thousands who are out of work or underemployed.
Earlier this year in Olympia, I championed a measure that will result in the creation of over 3,000 jobs in the construction sector, a sector currently facing 30 percent unemployment. By granting the Washington State Convention and Trade Center a new management structure, we have positioned our state’s convention center for future expansion and placed our state in a good position for economic growth.
We must create more family-wage jobs by continuing to invest in infrastructure by funding mass transit and new construction projects such as the South Park Bridge.
We also need to make it easier for small businesses to grow and prosper. To do so, I supported a measure this year in the Legislature that increased the B&O tax credit for businesses with profits of less than $80,000, so they now pay lower taxes. I also supported legislation that gives small businesses time to correct paperwork violations before a fine can be imposed.
As your Councilmember, I will continue my work to make doing business easier for small businesses – the backbone of our economy. I will strive to streamline paperwork and permitting, so business owners can focus on their businesses and not governmental red tape.
Our efforts will not be complete without tax reform. It is time we improve our regressive tax system that punishes our small businesses. That is why I support legislation that will tax businesses on income rather than gross receipts. Not only will this provide relief for small business, it will also create a more stable revenue source, enabling long-term investments that will bolster our economy by connecting education to family wage jobs.
