The Venango Chamber recently joined other chambers in signing three letters urging the Governor and Pennsylvania State legislators to support policies to improve our business competitiveness.

The first letter acknowledged the successful bipartisan advancement of tax reform, including lowering the corporate rate. It requested continued work on pro-growth tax policies, to improve the treatment of Net Operating Losses, at least maintain the CNIT rate reduction phasedown schedule passed last session, and build on small business tax reforms.

The second letter addressed the Commonwealth’s dysfunctional and unpredictable permitting system. The current permitting process takes too long, lacks transparency, and costs businesses money and good-paying jobs for our state’s workers.

The letter states, “Permitting reform will unlock a more efficient and modernized system of public infrastructure, facilitate re-shored investment into advanced manufacturing, and provide more opportunity for hardworking Pennsylvanians.”

The final letter addressed the need for more accessible and affordable child care, the lack of which is hampering our business’s access to potential workers. Suggested solutions included:

1) A tax credit for employers who furnish employee child day care in the amount of the employer’s cost in furnishing employee child day care.
2) Expanding the Child and Dependent Care Enhancement Program.
3) Proposals to offer rebates/incentives for Head Start Supplemental Program nursing, teaching and policing jobs should be extended to the childcare community.
4) Favorable regulatory changes currently being considered by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), ensure proper stakeholder input from childcare providers with special consideration to infant care.

The Venango Chamber is committed to building a strong local economy, while strengthening, enhancing, and protecting all business in the Oil Region.

This article was published in the Venango Chamber’s June 2023 VenangoWorks! Newsletter.