With the onset of the 2014 legislative session, the state's leading free-market advocacy group, the nonpartisan Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, recommends that the General Assembly should set as its goal the repeal or roll-back of existing laws that restrict economic growth, rather than the creation of new laws meant to serve as band-aids for existing conditions.Under the premise the state government of Rhode Island has implemented dozens of taxes and regulations over the years that have proven harmful to the state's economy and job creation, the Center believes that the most productive path for legislators would be to clear many of these destructive statutes from the books.
"We have a very bad habit of self-inflicting legislative wounds on our own economy," said Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the nonprofit Center. "High levels of spending, requiring onerous taxes and fees, are the root cause of our economic woes," he continued. "We must repeal or roll back many of these taxes, and we must cut spending. We have to change course - it is allowed."
As part of its annually revised Prosperity Agenda for Rhode Island, and among the items that Center believes should be reformed via repeal or rollback, in order to create a better tax and business climate that would benefit all businesses and individuals as well as to create much-needed new jobs, are:
"We all want prosperity for our families and businesses. We must free them from burdensome taxes and a culture of dependency, and unleash them to be able to improve their lives," concluded Stenhouse.
For more information, please visit www.RIFreedom.org .
"We have a very bad habit of self-inflicting legislative wounds on our own economy," said Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the nonprofit Center. "High levels of spending, requiring onerous taxes and fees, are the root cause of our economic woes," he continued. "We must repeal or roll back many of these taxes, and we must cut spending. We have to change course - it is allowed."
As part of its annually revised Prosperity Agenda for Rhode Island, and among the items that Center believes should be reformed via repeal or rollback, in order to create a better tax and business climate that would benefit all businesses and individuals as well as to create much-needed new jobs, are:
- Repeal or rollback of the state's regressive sales tax
- Repeal or rollback of the requirement that families have no school choice, even if their children are condemned to attend a school that is failing them
- Repeal of the state's punitive estate tax
- Repeal of restrictions on out-of-state companies to sell health insurance in the Ocean State, to provide affordable access to healthcare to more Rhode Islanders
- Repeal of the minimum franchise tax, a disincentive to entrepreneurship
- Rollback of corporate welfare and other tax credit programs, to level the playing field
- Rollback of renewable energy mandates that create a further drag on the economy
"We all want prosperity for our families and businesses. We must free them from burdensome taxes and a culture of dependency, and unleash them to be able to improve their lives," concluded Stenhouse.
For more information, please visit www.RIFreedom.org .
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