ASBC Business Summit for a Sustainable Economy Starts Tonight
As part of getting the Delaware Business for Social Responsibility (DBSR) going, I’ll be your representative at the ASBC Summit this week. The agenda includes a keynote by Hilda Solis, Secretary of the Department of Labor, as well as panels on Sustainable Economic Growth & Innovation with panelists like Jonathan Greenblatt, Director, White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Engagement.
While a great deal of the ASBC membership has “sustainability” as a primary frame – my concerns run more toward having a business voice in the state that can counterbalance the extreme right-wing advocacy work that the state Chamber of Commerce is known for.
If you have any questions about the DBSR, or about the ASBC summit, let me have them in the comments section.
Question 1: Everyone knows that too little taxation is horribly bad, as is too much… What are their strategies for getting it just right?
I don’t think I need to expound anymore, since this is a repeated topic on this blog, but, it would be an interesting topic of conversation to be sure: the specific topic being, how do we end run around the Chamber of Commerce on this issue?
Thanks kavips. I’ll try to update here, or on my Facebook page. Had an interesting conversation last night with a guy who sat next to Carper on the train coming into town for this. Appearently, according to him, TC doesn’t see any conflict between sustainability and economic growth. That’s refreshing, but I didn’t have the heart to tell the guy that TC was probably talking about B of As sustanaiability..
Another thing I learned last night was that the whole ASBC as a counterweight to the Wingnut Chamber of Commerce was championed by the President during the transition period in ’08. So, there again you have the President leading on an important issue but not getting (taking) credit for it.
Aw geez Jason–why in June? Graduations…as in tonite, weddings etc…Now, I’ll have to play catch-up. And please put on your “to do ” list for me if you would–the whole entrepenurial piece we need to be growing to sustainability, but initiatory EXPENSIVE roadblocks frustrate the heck out of great ideas beaten down by regs., fees, etc.. I am so glad Edison already got his light bulb out there.
At this point only designing an App is about land mine free to actualization.
The current regulatory regime seems more to do with protecting entrenched business interest. So, we really need to get to a level playing field. Innovative energy solutions, for example, are at a huge disadvantage because gas and coal writes the regulations to keep competition at a minimum.
Jc. – we’ll get together on this for Delaware. There is a ton of common ground.
I don’t mean to presume, but just to suggest that maybe DBSR should produce a statement on the role of tax policy. I’d say tax policy should be directed at the health of consumers and the expansion of the middle class – the demand side. What business needs is customers with cash, not more tax breaks. Tax policy that aims to help business by letting them keep more of dwindling customer cash is misguided and unsustainable.
My personal theory is that corporate income tax should be eliminated, and replaced by revenue-neutral increases to the top marginal rate. I think that would clear up a lot of corrupt tax-avoidance behavior and book-cooking on the part of business, and the increase in personal tax would focus CEOs on the long-term health and growth of their business rather than how to maximize short-term profits.
There are also real tax proposals on the table right now that DBSR might want to put out position papers on. If it were me I’d start with an analysis of Bowles Simpson, and by making a statement on the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. Maybe also a narrative on the availability of credit, from members’ point of view, since so many misguided policies seem to be aimed at “making credit (or capital) more available to business).