In Case You Missed It…..Included below is an op-ed by
Senator Ensign in today’s The Hill newspaper.
“We’ve known for a very long time that the path to
prosperity comes from reining in the size of government and letting people have
more control over their money. It’s the American way, and it’s time to get back
to those roots.” – Sen. John Ensign
America must join global
trend, slash corporate tax rates
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America must join
global trend, slash corporate tax rates |
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By Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) |
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Posted: 11/17/08 03:26 PM
[ET] |
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Today, our economy faces many challenges, but they are
far from insurmountable. Our nation has weathered stormy
economic periods and emerged stronger than ever.
Over time, the competitiveness of our business
environment has played a key role in ensuring economic growth
and innovation that generates jobs, wealth, and higher standards
of living for Americans. As we look to the path out of these
tough times, we need to remember that competition leads to lower
prices and better-quality goods and services for the consumer.
The last quarter-century is proof that countries with lower tax
rates and well-designed tax systems consistently outpace those
jurisdictions with high tax rates and onerous double taxation.
At a time when our economy is struggling, we would do
well to remember the lessons of history. More than 25 years ago,
Ronald Reagan took the helm of an economy that was tanking
quickly and bringing American families down with it. The economy
was shrinking; inflation was in double digits; more than 7
million Americans were unemployed; and interest rates were
through the roof.
Ronald Reagan fought for an aggressive plan to rein in
non-defense government spending, provide tax relief, and
eliminate unnecessary government regulation. When Reagan left
the presidency, tax rates were down. Employment had climbed to
record heights — there were more jobs and better, higher-paying
jobs. Family income had been on the rise for four straight
years. America’s poor were able to climb out of poverty at the
fastest rate in more than 10 years.
During Reagan’s presidency, the United States became a
low-tax-rate country, dropping its federal corporate tax rate
from 46 percent to 34 percent. Among the loudest critics of
Reagan’s philosophy of lower taxes and less government
regulation were European countries that taxed high to offer more
social services to their citizens.
Today, however, the tide has changed. Countries around
the world, including in Europe, are racing to cut taxes. They
are cutting business taxes in the name of economic growth. That
is because tax cuts attract greater business investment with
minimal loss of revenue.
Twenty-eight nations belonging to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and at least 20
non-OECD nations have learned the importance of adopting
corporate tax rates lower than ours, but we have forgotten. The
United States now sits in the position of having the
second-highest statutory tax rate among OECD nations. Even
though the effective tax rate for individual corporations is
often lower than the federal statutory rate of 35 percent,
companies must spend too much valuable time and resources
navigating our complex tax code in order to find occasional
relief. American businesses also face the challenge of varied
corporate taxes levied by individual states.
We have to understand that American workers and
businesses are competing at a global level today. Our growth is
stifled by a U.S. corporate tax rate 50 percent higher than the
OECD average. Companies will flock to the best environment, and
higher tax rates clearly put businesses that want to grow and
invest here at a disadvantage.
The rest of the world understands the benefit of a lower
corporate tax rate and is acting. Asian countries are
aggressively cutting corporate taxes. Ireland, which holds the
lowest OECD corporate tax rate, enjoyed employment growth of 3.8
percent last year and is one of the most attractive business
locations in the world. We should not stand still as the rest of
the world scrambles to embrace a philosophy that we taught them.
If we want to grow our economy, create jobs, and take the lead
in this global economy, we have to reduce our corporate tax
rate.
I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as
well as in state legislatures, to look at what is happening
around the world. We shouldn’t just be joining the race to lower
taxes — we should be leaps and bounds ahead. After all, we’ve
known for a very long time that the path to prosperity comes
from reining in the size of government and letting people have
more control over their money. It’s the American way, and it’s
time to get back to those roots.
Ensign is a member of the Senate committees on Budget;
Commerce, Science and Transportation; Finance; and Rules and
Administration. |
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Ensign to Chair GOP Policy Committee
Ensign Becomes Highest
Ranking GOP Senator in Nevada’s History
Senator John Ensign was unanimously elected by his
colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, the number
four position in GOP leadership and a promotion that makes Ensign the highest
ranking Republican Senator in Nevada’s history.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to have been selected by my
colleagues for this position,” said Ensign. “I’m grateful to have the
opportunity to take such a leading role in the future of the Republican Party as
we reunite as the party of fiscal responsibility, limited government and
opportunity for everyone.”
Established in 1946, the Policy Committee unifies and
coordinates legislative efforts across the Republican Conference. In a larger
capacity compared to the last two years when he was Chairman of the National
Republican Senatorial Committee, Senator Ensign will help establish floor
strategy and direction.
“For Nevada, this position will lend an even stronger voice
in the Senate,” said Ensign. “As a more senior member of leadership, I’ll have
an influential voice at the negotiating table and be able to ensure that the
interests of Nevadans are heard at the earliest stages of the legislative
process.”
“Over the past two years, John’s proven to be a valuable
asset as part of our leadership team,” said Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
“He’s helped shape and define our legislative efforts, ranging from crafting key
tax relief to encouraging clean energy, and as Chairman of the Policy Committee,
I look forward to him taking on a larger role.”
Following a vote in the Capitol this morning, Ensign
offered praise to his predecessor, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, for her
efforts as part of the leadership team. Senator Hutchison decided not to run
for the post again. To learn more about the GOP Policy Committee, go to
www.rpc.senate.gov.
Ensign, Heller Push For Public Input On Ely Energy Center
Approval of Impact Study will
Allow for Public Participation
In a letter to the Department of Interior, Senator John
Ensign and Congressman Dean Heller urged Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to approve
the publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the proposed
Ely Energy Center in Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for
preparing the document in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
Act.
“Public
participation in this process is critical. Nevadans need to understand what our
energy needs are and options for meeting our future demand,” said Ensign. “Our
state needs inexpensive energy, more renewable resources and a diverse energy
plan. The Ely Energy Center would help our state meet these demands and make
Nevada less reliant on expensive imported energy.”
The Ely
Energy Center includes a north-south transmission line, which will make it
possible for Nevada to continue to lead the nation in renewable energy
development and help balance our state’s energy portfolio. Issuing the
long-awaited draft EIS would allow for the official public comment period to
begin.
“The Ely
Energy Center will be instrumental in providing Nevadans with affordable energy
and critical for economic development in White Pine County. Moreover, our
nation needs to move towards greater diversity in our energy sources that
include renewable energy. The publication of the EIS will give the public the
opportunity to review this project and understand its importance,” said Heller.
Included
below is the text of the letter.
November
19, 2008
The
Honorable Dirk Kempthorne Secretary of Interior United States Department of
Interior
1849 C
Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20240
Dear
Secretary Kempthorne:
We are
writing this letter to urge you to approve publication of the Draft
Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for NV Energy’s proposed Ely Energy Center.
Nevada is one of the fastest growing states in the country, and it is imperative
that the dialogue surrounding valuable projects such as this be allowed to
progress so to that we can develop new energy sources and meet our critical
demand.
NV
Energy has proposed development of the Ely Energy Center, a 2,500-megawatt
coal-fired power facility in White Pine County, Nevada. In addition to helping
Nevada meet its energy needs and diversify our energy portfolio, this project
will further the development of carbon capture technology and allow us to
demonstrate how to use one of our most abundant natural resources in a clean and
environmentally friendly manner. The Ely Energy Center project would also
ensure the creation of a 250-mile transmission line between Ely and Las Vegas,
effectively joining the entire state and taking a crucial step toward allowing
Nevada the opportunity to create and develop many more renewable projects that
can transmit along this line.
It is
our goal, as state leaders, to increase Nevada’s energy independence and further
reduce the state’s reliance on energy from outside sources by adding to and
broadening our energy portfolio. We support NV Energy’s proposed Energy Center
project and believe that it would help accomplish these objectives, while
concurrently setting a precedent for clean energy and coal-fired power
generation around the world. We believe that the public’s participation is
integral in this process and hope that you will advance the draft EIS and allow
for public comment and participation.
Your
support and assistance in advancing the draft EIS on the Ely Energy Center
project would be appreciated. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
JOHN
ENSIGN DEAN
HELLER United States
Senate U.S. House of
Representatives
