Published: October 07, 2008 11:27 pm            

Jill Long Thompson: Overhaul tax structure

TERRE HAUTE — Democratic candidate for Indiana governor Jill Long Thompson promoted her “One Indiana Plan” on Tuesday during a stop in Terre Haute.

The plan, outlined in a 56-page document, would, among other things, overhaul the state’s tax structure, create “green” jobs, improve the state’s infrastructure and reform Indiana’s education system.

It also would suspend the state gasoline tax, work to provide a free book each month to Hoosier children up to age 5, change Indiana’s voter ID law, dismantle the newly privatized welfare intake system and provide tax incentives for job creation in Indiana counties based on the economic strength of those counties.

“In order for Indiana to be strong, every community has to be strong,” Long Thompson told a gathering of around a dozen people at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers building on East Hulman Drive. “I’m going to grow the economy.”

Indiana has an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent, Long Thompson said. That’s the highest level since 1987, she said.

Other elements in the One Indiana Plan include bringing broadband Internet to underserved parts of the state, banning “predatory mortgages” and requiring borrowers and lenders to negotiate with each other to reduce home foreclosures.

Indiana’s economy can benefit from manufacturing “green” energy components, such as solar panels and wind generation towers, Long Thompson said. Green manufacturing also would help organized labor, she noted. “You can’t put up wind generation towers unless you’ve got laborers and iron workers to put those big towers up,” she said.

The IBEW endorsed Long Thompson after the Democratic primary, said R. Todd Thacker, business manager for the IBEW local 725. “Even when she was down in the polls we still felt like we were doing the right thing,” he said. The IBEW believes electricians will have more job opportunities with green energy projects, Thacker added.

During a question-and-answer period, Long Thompson said her One Indiana Plan would provide tax incentives to businesses in Indiana’s 92 counties based on countywide economic indicators such as unemployment rate, household income and population growth. Businesses in counties with the poorest economic conditions would receive the largest tax breaks, she said.

In the poorest counties, called “tier-1 counties” in the Long Thompson plan, qualifying businesses would receive $3,500 tax credits per new job created and a 7 percent tax credit for eligible business property. Businesses in tier-2 counties would receive $2,500 tax credits and a 5 percent tax credit on eligible business property and businesses in the wealthiest counties would see $1,000 tax credits per new job and a 3.5 percent tax credit for eligible business property.

To qualify for the tax credits, companies would need to create a minimum number of jobs and those jobs would need to include health insurance with 50 percent of the premium paid by employers. Also, in order to qualify, the new jobs would have to pay above the average county wage for that particular type of job, according to the One Indiana Plan brochure.

“This is for jobs created, not jobs promised,” Long Thompson said.

Long Thompson said she believes her campaign is gaining momentum as the Nov. 4 election draws near. An Indiana television station poll released today shows her opponent, Gov. Mitch Daniels, with a 49-45 percent lead, she said.

“It’s basically a dead heat,” Long Thompson said.

Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.

        

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