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All you have to do is let the lion loose,
and the lion will defend itself.“
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The tax reform package of 2017 was a huge boost to the Amercian economy. It was the most comprehensive and helpful tax legislation in decades. We can do more. We will do more!
If God gets 10%, then the most the Federal Government deserves is 9%.
Let’s have a simple flat tax which treats all Americans fairly. I believe a 9% flat tax rate would propel the Amercian economy in a way which the world has never seen. It also allows us all to pay our fair share and gets rid of the hassle of long IRS forms.
The #1 challenge facing companies today is a lack of talent. The United States must recruit and retain the best talent from all across the world. As the candidate who has created more jobs than all other 8 candidates – combined, I understand what Amercian businesses need.
Currently, the United States issues 85,000 new H-1B visas per year to highly skilled workers. These are positions for which there is proven to be no local workforce. Here in Texas, we are at 3.8% unemployment – this is essentially full employment. Companies are requesting about 200% more visas than are being provided, so we are starving those Amercian companies who need that talent. We need to open up the H-1B visa program. We should allow up to 250,000 new H-1B visas per year to be awarded while making the company-sponsors responsible for any government expenses while they are here. The American taxpayer should not foot the bill for foreigners here to work for private businesses. Our immigration plan requires extensive background investigations for anyone coming here on a visa – we’ll keep America safe.
Furthermore, about 65 percent of all H-1B visas go to computer-related jobs. We need to cap the number of H-1B visas given to fill computer-related positions at 50% in order to allow medical, research, data science and specialty engineering talent to also enter our workforce. These individuals are extremely likely to start small businesses and create jobs.
By expanding the H-1B visa program, we will expand our tax base while giving Amercian companies the fuel to grow. (Our immigration plan discusses visas and visa overstays at www.rickwalker.com/immigration)
When people think about tariffs, they think about the additional fees the Government places on things like steel that we import and use to build our trucks. This artificially increases the price of our vehicles and is essentially another tax. Let’s remove the tariffs and allow the prices of vehicles to fall; the savings would then accrue to the public.
Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations states: “If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry employed in a way in which we have some advantage. The general industry of the country, being always in proportion to the capital which employs it, will not thereby be diminished … but only left to find out the way in which it can be employed with the greatest advantage.” This is the same thinking that Ludwig Von Mises had when he spoke of comparative advantage.
America will not realize its true economic strength until its businesses uncover their greatest advantage. This only happens with free market and free trade principles.
Close the OSHA
Jobs are at risk when agencies of the Federal Government are allowed to excessively fine small businesses at-will. Most states have their own version of OSHA – making OSHA duplicative. Let’s work with the Department of Labor to phase out OSHA and end this duplicative, harmful system. This is a job for the states.
Close the EXIM Bank
The EXIM Bank (Export-Import) is a taxpayer-funded organization which provides a service primarily for major companies to avoid risk in international transactions. This isn’t the job of the Federal Government. Let’s close the EXIM Bank, save millions in taxpayer funds and allow private capital sources to take up that risk insurance business.
Close the EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency is at the center of many liberal political agendas. We must close this agency and allow the states to self-govern. The agency has prevented economic expansion in energy and a variety of other industries for too long.
By far, the Affordable Care Act was the most damaging Government activity in the past decade. Millions of businesses were discouraged to grow above 50 employees. This means that the 51st employee could cost tens of thousands of dollars per month in additional costs to purchase really bad health insurance. This tax on businesses must stop.
We need to end the employer mandate and allow companies to compete fairly against the rest of the world for talent. This employer mandate hurts Amercian jobs and the American economy.