The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 67

Monday, November 7, 1994 THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER G5 An advertising supplement of the Philadelphia Inquirer he Bottom Line hi in lit GjtA Hj LA DELPH1A Chamber of Commerce 215 545 1234 Pennsylvania Elects A New Governor I omorrow's gubernatorial election will have a greater effect on the A ESSAGE TO OUR EXT GOVERNOR omorrow's gubernatorial election will have a greater effect on the economic future of Pennsylvania than any other race. 1 than nearby states. Also, you should establish a State Tax Study Commission to develop a long-term tax strategy, which is imperative. Coordination between state and local Tomorrow, Pennsylvanians will make a choice that will set the course for the Commonwealth's future. When we enter the voting booth it takes only a few seconds to vote.

But this simple act is On September 28 over 1,000 regional business leaders attended the Chamber's Annual Meeting and heard the two major party gubernatorial candidates, Republican Tom Ridge and Democrat Mark Singel, present their economic agendas. The following are excerpted comments from each candidate. among our most important duties as citizens. It is a responsibility all of us should welcome. After the votes are counted, and you finish celebrating, several critical issues must be addressed taxes is crucial to assure equity for all taxpayers.

While the state's workers' compensation law has undergone modest reform, it remains uncompetitive with neighboring CHAMBEREvinfs November 9: How to Write a Business Plan Linda Karl of the Philadelphia Commercial Development Corp. will present. 6 8:00 p.m. at the Chamber. 972-3964.

November 10: Practical Ways to Measure Customer Satisfaction This Table Topics features Bill Madway of Madway Business Research. 6 p.m. at the Chamber. 972-3928. November 1 5: How to Manage Difficult and Demanding Clients Featuring Sandra O'Hara of Physis Associates.

Sponsored by 6 a.m. at the Chamber. Tt 972-3931. November 1 6: Business After Hours Co-sponsored by the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). 6 7:30 p.m.

at The Guest Quarters in Plymouth Meeting. Tt 972-3966. November 16: Basic Bookkeeping Mark Colatrella, CPA and Frank Sterner, CPA of BDO Seidman will present. 6 8:00 p.m. at the Chamber.

972-3964. November 1 6: Entrepreneurial Reception Co-sponsored by PA Innovation Network the PA Private Investors Group. 6 8:00 p.m. at the Valley Forge Hilton. 972-3989.

November 1 7: Communication: Asking for What You Want and Getting It! This Agenda 90's program features Sheila Kutner of The Showplace. 10:00 a.m. at the Chamber. 972-3966. RIDGE: Unless and until we change Harrisburg and the attitude of people who are trying to get ahead, Pennsylvania will never realize its SINGEL: We have only begun the creative investment, the partnership, the commitments that will be necessary to resurge the Delaware Valley.

states. Further reform is mandatory if we are to maintain our business base and improve business development. The business community stands ready to develop a dialogue witji your new administration as it takes shape and you set the direction for the next four years. We are anxious to work with you and others interested in strengthening and improving the Commonwealth's business climate. Working together, we can make Pennsylvania a leader in economic development into the 21st Century.

23 Joseph F. Paquette, Jr. is Chairman and Chief Execuim Officer of PECO Energy Company. if Pennsylvania is to experience economic growth and job creation. Pennsylvania's next Governor has an opportunity to revise the tax structure to enhance economic expansion.

Mr. Governor-elect, the business community is anxious to work with you in developing strategies to make Pennsylvania attractive for new businesses and to encourage those here to expand. Business leaders around the Commonwealth agree that there are several key issues for your administration. First, the corporate net income tax must be lowered. It is among the highest in the nation, and considerably higher Outstanding small business owners will be honored for their entrepreneurial flair, business acumen and success in their fields of endeavor.

6 11:00 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Philadelphia. 972-3928. Whether you're talking about the Philadelphia Plan, the American Street Corridor, Avenue of the Arts or the Navy Yard, I have been there. I believe that as the economy of the Philadelphia region goes, so goes the Commonwealth.

We cannot escape our obligation to secure the basic economic strength of the economy of this region. let me remind you that last year as Acting Governor, said let's use some of the budget surplus for a reduction in the Corporate Net Income Tax. I also proposed a reduction in the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax and a reinstatement of the Net Operating Loss-Carry Forward provision. We now have removed the last vestiges of the difficulties that business had faced in dealing with Pennsylvania's business climate. I'm not saying that everything has been accomplished, far from it, but we can continue in that direction.

I know that workers' compensation remains a burden and more needs to be done; but let the record show that last year, for the first time, we reversed the trend our business now is to perfect that instrument. Remember? Remember those nights? Then mere magic. The place mas going note. Everybody on Itieir (eel jumping around, hugging each oilier. We never wanted it to end.

He mere champions. He won if all. Line, who could forget? Man, could gef tears in pr eyes remembering. full potential. We are the fifth largest state in the union and we are last in new business starts, we are near last in new jobs created and we are at the bottom of most educational lists in terms of achievement.

A I do not believe that more government, more taxes, more regulations, more bureaucrats is an equation for success. I do not believe that economic and social challenge requires a new' program, a new mandate. We are not job-friendly in this state and have not been for a long time. You can talk about reducing the CNI, but it should never have been raised in the first place. You can talk about reducing the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax, but we're one of the few states that has both.

On the Net Operating Loss Tax, we went from the one state that did not have one to the state with the most restrictive one. -A I am going to cut taxes and I am going to change the regulatory burden. We have one of the most oppressive, difficult environments in all the United States within which you can employ people, be competitive, be profitable and therefore employ more people. I think the Department of Environmental Resources is a job-crushing, community harassing regulatory nightmare. I think it's a mess, and I think it reflects the worst kind of government overreach.

It's anti-growth and anti-worker. We need environmental partners, not environmental police. Workers' compensation is not a special interest issue, it's not a management-labor issue, it's a competitiveness issue. I want to promote exports like they've never been promoted before in this state. I want it stamped "Made in Pennsylvania" and get it out the door; because exports mean jobs, real good jobs.

Across the country 35 of our manufacturing companies export, in Pennsylvania it's less than 20. That's where the market is, we can compete, we can win, let's get about it. We must impose accountability in education, don't tinker with the system, challenge it. Give parents the opportunity to set up charter schools under the public school umbrella, give them the opportunity to privatize if they want. Give poor people and the working class a choice, give them options, give them an educational menu for their children.

During the first four years of the Singel administration, I will propose to form a panel to take a look at the interrelationship between personal, corporate, federal and local property taxes. Let us determine once and for all which are appropriate, what amount we need to fund our programs, which are restrictive and which we can eliminate. We will enott for the first time in Pennsylvania history an investment tax credit. What we're saying very clearly is if you invest in Pennsylvania, we will invest in you and we will develop the instruments to make it happen. We want to invest in technology transfer.

What's happening in our colleges and universities is exciting, but it is only relevant if it translates to the factory floor. We will invest in the transfer of that technology so that every small business can take advantage of cutting edge research and development. I would like to establish a partnership between business, government and academia wherein business will actually interview prospective employees and agree to help pay for their tuition in return for a commitment on the part of the student to work in that company. Government will assist by helping to fund the experiment, academia by holding the line on tuition and providing special curriculum considerations in conjunction with business. Among the three of us we should be able to graduate talented, skillful and prepared workers.

23 Take off with the Chamber Well, they're taking memories like those and building a new state-of-the-art home for the Flyers and Sixers. But its heart and soul will be rooted in a gritty heritage of sweat and glory; an unspoiled history of hometown pride that lived in glorious moments at the Spectrum. We share those feelings, because this is our hometown, too. We have an emotional investment in the neighborhoods and communities we serve that matches our financial commitments. That's why, when the new facility's ready, we're delighted to say it will be named the CoreStates Center.

Join the Chamber by November 16, and we'll enter your name in a drawing to win 2 free round-trip tickets anywhere in the continental U.S.A. on Northwest Airlines. The drawing will be held at our Business After Hours on November 16. Tt 972 6999. NORTHWEST AIRLINES And that championship tradition will always be honored in the building that will now be called the CoreStates Spectrum.

Because we remember, too. For information on CoreStates Center Premium Seating, call 215-389-9500. Member FDIC The Bottom Line is a publication of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, which is solely responsible for its editorial content. Editor: Holly Nelson, Art Director: Terry Mallon, Thi Bottom lint it sponsored by: CoreStates Center CoreStates Spectrum CoreStates Complex You Know Us. We Know You.

Blue Cross Ptnntytvanto ENFBGY.