By: MARGARET GIBBONS , The Times Herald
COURTHOUSE - A Norristown businessman Monday spoke out in
favor of President Bush's tax cuts.
"I'm a small business owner and at my company we work very
hard to provide to excellent benefits, health benefits and
retirement benefits to our employees, and, with lower taxes,
we have a little more cash flow to continue funding those
benefits," said Jeff Duffine.
Duffine heads Duff Co., a plumbing supply distributorship
that employs about 50 people.
"As a business owner, the new tax structure certainly has
been beneficial," he said.
Duffine's comments came during a press conference held at
the Montgomery County Courthouse at which the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce announced its endorsement of Republican 13th
District congressional candidate Dr. Melissa M. Brown.
Brown, a Whitemarsh ophthalmologist, is vying with state
Rep. Ellen Bard of Abington and Philadelphia businessman Al
Taubenberger for the GOP congressional nomination that will
be decided in the April 27 primary election.
"Melissa Brown has earned the U.S. Chamber's endorsement
because we believe she will support business, both large and
small, on issues such as taxes, health care and legal and
regulatory reform," said Chamber regional executive director
Sean Heather.
The Chamber, which represents some three million businesses
throughout the country, supports making the president's tax
cuts permanent as does Brown, said Heather.
Describing Brown as a "medical economist," Heather also said
Brown can provide Congress with first-hand experience and
knowledge on how to put a lid on skyrocketing health-care
costs.
One of the major differences between Brown and Bard involved
the president's tax cuts.
At a candidates' forum last week, Bard said she believed the
tax cuts have been beneficial and have stimulated economic
recovery.
"But at this point I would keep the child tax cut and also
the marriage penalty tax cut in place while holding off on
the others until we make sure that our economic recovery
really takes over and gets these deficits under control,"
Bard said during the forum.
Brown said that the tax cuts should be made permanent for
the recovery to continue and to give businesses a
predictability on which they can plan.
An improving economy will help reduce the deficit as well
reductions in government spending, including government
spending on health care, according to Brown.
Taubenberger, who heads the Northeast Chambers of Commerce
in Philadelphia, also has said that he, too, supports making
the president's tax cuts permanent. |
