Issues

  • Business Tax Burden
    The Chamber opposes a constitutional amendment that caps property taxes. Such a constitutional amendment would severely limit the ability of Indiana to react to changes in the structure of its economy and to tap potential sources of revenue when needed. Also, research must be undertaken to ensure that legislatively enacted property tax caps (1% on residences, 2% on farms and 3% on businesses) do not place Indiana businesses at a competitive disadvantage in our region or in the nation. In the past four years, Indiana has become one of the premier states within which to conduct business, and we need to protect and maintain a favorable tax climate for business.
  • Immigration
    The Chamber opposes legislation, such as was proposed during the last session of the General Assembly that would impose penalties upon employers on account of their employees' misrepresentations to them. Employers should not be subjected to rigorous local or state demands imposed upon them in a vain attempt to solve the national immigration problem. The economic impact of such legislation on businesses in the Goshen area could be significant. Moreover, the General Assembly is not in a position to adopt the expanded workers permit program that is necessary to meet the labor force needs of the U.S economy. Effective immigration legislation cannot be piecemeal and local. The Chamber urges Congress to pass comprehensive federal immigration legislation. See 2009 Federal Policy Position Paper.
  • ISTEP Test Reporting
    The Chamber recommends that the State Board of Education craft a new means of reporting ISTEP scores which fulfills the requirements of No Child Left Behind while presenting a more complete and accurate picture of the educational performance of schools in diverse communities. The current system of mainly reporting only one aggregated score harms diverse communities and their ability to attract quality students and families from various populations to their school district and community. It is for these reasons that the Goshen Chamber opposes the reporting of ISTEP as is currently practiced and supports reporting the disaggregated scores that present a better picture of how school districts handle the needs of the different populations that make up our communities.
  • Local Collection Of Local Option Income Tax
    The Chamber supports legislation that would grant local communities not only the option to impose, but also the authority to collect local option income taxes locally. The local collection of local income taxes is common in other states. Allowing local communities to collect all locally imposed taxes, income taxes as well as property taxes, would eliminate the cost for the State of Indiana of collecting and distributing funds back to local communities, and local collection would ensure that local communities receive local tax revenues in a timely manner.
  • Provide Local Funding Options
    The Chamber believes that the councilmen and -women of a city should have the authority to distinguish their city from other cities in accord with the council's perception of the needs, wants and resources of the city's citizens and taxpayers and that the same principle should apply to towns, school corporations, counties and other local governments governed by elected officials. For this reason, the Chamber supports a system that allows locally elected officials to raise the funds necessary to meet the needs and wants of the communities they serve. The limitations of the 1%-2%-3% cap and caps on property tax revenue are contrary to this principle. If the citizens believe they have been disserved by local elected officials, they can vote the bums out.
  • Right-To-Work State
    The Chamber supports passage of legislation that will make Indiana a right-to-work state.
  • Safe Highways
    The Chamber does support passage of legislation establishing a pilot identification program that would allow for the issuance of drivers' permits to immigrants who would not otherwise qualify for drivers' licenses. The Driver's License/Immigration Subcommittee of the Indiana Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs outlined such a program in its 2005 report to Governor Daniels. As noted in the report, "After passing the Real ID Act, Congress did little to provide states with the resources to comply with the Act, and Indiana must resolve to find solutions that will continue to protect its citizens ... from any possible security risk, address the needs of the Hispanic/Latino communities and insure that all Indiana drivers are insured and have been educated as to the rules of the road." Such legislation would not condone illegal immigration or attempt to enforce the nation's immigration laws; it would address public safety concerns that are traditionally the province of the states.
  • Streamlining Local Government
    The Chamber acknowledges the work that went into the Kernan/Shepard report on streamlining local government. However, we do not accept the premise that forms of government become obsolete with age. The United States Constitution is venerable, but we would not tinker with its balance of powers and guarantees of individual rights in order to achieve efficiency. Moreover, we feel that each recommendation in the Kernan/Shepard report should be subjected to a cost/benefit analysis. We acknowledge that the results of a cost/benefit analysis would be only one of the tools that should be used in evaluating each of the recommendations. Consolidation of public safety services may achieve efficiencies without significant loss of a sense of local control, whereas the consolidation of library services or park and recreation services may deprive local communities of the opportunity to use local government to satisfy local wants as well as local needs. See Provide Local Funding Options above.
  • Unfunded Mandates
    The Chamber opposes the passage of any legislation that requires local implementation without also providing the funding to accomplish the assigned task.
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