Issue Position: Jobs

Issue Position

Margie knows a lot about creating jobs! Margie built her business from the ground up, starting with nothing and growing her business into the largest privately owned transportation company in South Alabama. Today Mobile Bay Transportation provides Yellow Cab, handicap, chauffeured, and group transportation in cities across the Gulf Coast. In a transportation industry dominated by men, Margie broke the glass ceiling more than once as she built her company, negotiating with unions and governmental bureaucracy. Margie hasn't just been there, she is still there today working to grow her business. She has the business background we need representing our district.

Lower taxes are the most important incentive we can have to growing jobs. Licensing fees, occupational taxes, gross receipts, and fewer deductions in the state system all compound together to make it financially difficult for a small business in Alabama. We need to focus on reducing the tax burden and simplify the responsibilities for new businesses.

Cutting the red tape and streaming government regulations are another important step our legislature can take to increasing jobs in Alabama. Margie's business gets licensing and approvals from more than 20 different government agencies. Homebuilders, automobile dealers, plumbers, and other trade craftsmen all have different regulations that keep getting more cumbersome. We need less government regulation, not more. We need to ensure that people who are beginning a business have the ability to get started and hire workers with help from our state government and not be hindered by the process and the paperwork.

50% of private jobs come from small businesses. Bringing in large employers like Airbus and Austal are amazing ventures and they trickle down to even the smallest employer but we need programs that can help reopen the mom and pop shops that once lined our streets. Everything doesn't have to be a billion dollar incentive package. Margie is convinced that we can create jobs, reduce real estate vacancy and clean up our communities by helping the small business owners get people back to work!

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