Manufacturing Jobs, Not New Taxes Needed

With Congress returning from its summer recess, proposals from President Obama and congressional leadership to raise taxes on America’s energy sector are sure to be high on the agenda. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) sees these potential tax increases causing serious damage to the manufacturing sector, job creation and the U.S. economy.

To counter this drive for higher taxes, NAM has launched a multi-state, multi-million-dollar ad campaign focused on Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.

Joining the NAM as sponsors are several state manufacturing associations and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The initiative builds on our “Manufacturing Means Jobs!” campaign, which presses elected officials to consider the big picture — what it will take for manufacturers in the U.S. to succeed in the global marketplace.

On Labor Day, President Obama used a speech at a union rally to call for additional infrastructure spending, which White House officials say could be paid for with higher energy taxes. Then in Cleveland, the President unveiled proposals for business tax relief — again matched by higher taxes on business.

Rather than pitting business against business and industry sector against industry sector as a political tactic leading up to Election Day, NAM and NFIB call on leaders to recognize that new taxes will only make it more difficult for manufacturers to compete, create jobs and contribute to economic growth. (An example of the ads can be seen at: FarmEquip.org/Shortlinks.) ◆