Masonry Magazine September 2001 Page. 9
OSITION TO SWEA?
For Mason's
Hydrated Lime...
"HR877 is labor neutral. Both union and non-union programs would qualify, benefit, prosper ..."
This argument eloquently states the obvious: tax credits reduce revenue to the Treasury. However, HR877, in many respects, is a jobs bill. It will turn low-income and no-income individuals into high-income workers - taxpayers all with life-long skills. The initial reduction in revenues is an investment that will repay itself many times over in new tax revenues. While Congress binds itself to arcane and anachronistic "static scoring" rules which ignore future economic benefits of bills like HR877, we don't have to make the same mistake. Any objective, competent economist worth his salt cannot deny each new worker created by HR877 should generate impressive new revenues to the Treasury, far surpassing the original tax credit investment in his or her training.
"HR877 allows employers to take the tax credit without adhering to quality standards set by BAT and state apprenticeship committees (SACs)."
There is a need to create more skilled workers, but no one has any interest in creating workers who aren't adequately trained. Therefore, the bill contains five qualification criteria that programs must meet to be eligible for the credit. The first two criteria specifically include the federal BAT and SACS.
Presumably the BCTD would drop this objection if adhering to either of these standards were the only means to qualify. But this would be a terrible precedent to set, limiting a general business tax credit to only union-controlled programs. It is wrong in principle and it it would be wrong for companies who cannot or do not participate in union-controlled programs. There is no evidence to support the notion that unions, BAT and SACs somehow invented or hold a monopoly on quality training. Voc-tech schools, community colleges, private industrial or trade training organizations, and association programs around the country train highly competent workers. They should not be written out of HR877 because their training standards differ (in some cases more stringent) compared to BAT and SACS. HR877 must have serious criteria to meet it does - but there is no reasonable rationale for limiting it to union-sanctioned criteria.
HR877 does not specifically require safety and health training.
Well, that is true but hardly an issue to justify opposition. Supporters of HR877 would be happy to include such a requirement. Problem solved. But this miniscule issue raises the question: is the BCTD simply fishing for any possible justification to oppose the bill?
If so, why? MCAA members, who have much to lose if HR877 fails, may wish to contact BCTD to obtain their own answers and suggest a change of heart.
Randall G. Pence, Esq. of Capitol Hill Advocates, Inc. is a Washington lobbyist representing business clients on legislative and regulatory policies affecting construction, construction products, and housing. E-mail: CHA RP@Hotmail.com
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MASONRY SEPTEMBER, 2001 9