Rep. Altmire gets an earful during round table talk
CLINTON TWP — Business owners have a lot on their minds regarding the federal government as U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-4th, found out Friday at a manufacturing round table.
Altmire met with business people from Butler, Beaver and Allegheny counties to discuss issues at Cygnus Manufacturing in the Victory Road Business Park.
Ron Marburger of Robinson Fans in Zelienople fired several shots across Altmire's bow in the first few minutes of the meeting, asking about taxes, Marcellus Shale natural gas fees and the Right-to-Work acts.
“We are too heavily taxed, legislated and regulated,” Marburger said. “And Pennsylvania doesn't make it any easier to do business here.”
Altmire agreed that there are many unnecessary hurdles to doing business in the United States, but he took issue with some of Marburger's tax statements.
“I voted for the Bush-era tax cuts because in today's economy I think it would be ill-advised to raise taxes,” Altmire said.
However, he pointed out that both the personal and commercial tax rates are at their lowest since Harry Truman was president in the 1950s.
“Neither rate has been raised since 1993, so we are the lowest tax burden in 50 years, but with that said, you, as business owners, should be outraged that General Electric does not pay income taxes. That is not a problem with the tax rate, not the tax code,” he said.
Altmire said the corporate tax rate needs to come down from its 35 percent and tax reform must include a lower rate for American companies with facilities in other countries to bring profits back to the United States without being unfairly taxed.
As for Marcellus Shale, Altmire said the Pittsburgh region can be the world capital for energy and energy technology.
“We have Marcellus Shale, we have coal and Westinghouse (Electric), so we have nuclear,” he said. “Marcellus Shale is the greatest opportunity we have had since the 1870s and the founding of the steel industry here. That made us a world leader and this can too.”
Altmire said he doesn't want to see the search for and extraction of natural gas from the shale end as it has been in New York with a moratorium. He also said drinking water will be safe as long as the energy companies are held to high safety and environmental standards.
As for a tax on the Marcellus Shale profits, Altmire said the energy companies are expecting to pay something in Pennsylvania.
“They are taxed in other states and have that money in their budgets, but this (the shale) is a gift and we must not mess it up,” he said.
He said he's working to repeal part of the approved health care law that calls for a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices, something that will hit companies such as MEDRAD at Victory Road.
“I am the lead co-sponsor on a repeal, but the tax money is meant to offset the subsidies within the act, so to repeal, we have to find a way to replace the money,” Altmire said.
Jeff Pfeifer, president and CEO of MLP Steel in Scottdale, asked Altmire to carry two messages back to Washington, D.C.
“The first is that we've had the Department of Energy since Jimmy Carter, but we still don't have an energy plan,” Pfeifer said. “If we did, we could work toward energy independence and we, as business people, could decide where to invest our money.
“If we as a nation are going to use coal, then we can invest in coal power for our businesses, but we need to have a plan.”
Next, Pfeifer said during the election cycle business owners always hear that America is run by small business.
“But there are no small business people on the president's advisory council. Give us a seat at the table,” he told Altmire.
Altmire said he would take the messages with him, and he asked Pfeifer to “keep in touch. Let's keep talking.”
