Congressman visits Pederson’s in Hamilton

United States Congressman Roger Williams is home from Washington, D.C., and is spending his time in Texas visiting small businesses around U.S. House District 25.
Williams and members of his staff were in Hamilton last Wednesday to visit with the management team and employees of Pederson's Natural Farms.
"I'm one of the few in congress that actually owns a business," said Williams. "We're out visiting small businesses with the message that our office is working to jumpstart America, and that begins with helping our businesses grow and succeed."
Williams explained that he brings a business perspective to Washington.
"I'm working as your Congressman to bring on true tax reform."
Before touring Pederson's processing plant, Williams laid out his tax reform plan that he believes will improve both the work environment for businesses similar in size to Pederson's while also improving the lives of their employees.
When Cody Lane, president of Pederson's, joined Pederson's in 2001, the local business employed 15 to 20 employees. Today it has grown to more than 70 employees and has experienced significant growth in market share.
Williams admitted that the business environment has been stronger in Texas than the rest of the country, but contends, "It could be better!"
Williams' plan includes cutting personal tax brackets to 20% for those Americans making less than $1 million a year and to 30% for those making above that same threshold.
"Americans should keep more of their hard-earned money," said Williams. "In order to spur job creation, encourage increased investment in research and infrastructure, make businesses more competitive worldwide and to lower the unemployment rate, I too am proposing in Washington to cut the corporate tax rate to 20%."
Williams is also taking aim at permanent repatriation, claiming, "High corporate tax rates encourage U.S. companies to store their earnings abroad instead of investing it in expansion and employment at home." In order to put more money in the hands of both the employee and the employer, Williams wants to make an additional 2% cut to the payroll tax.
He said, "Cut the employee tax rate, and the business's portion too goes down. Thus you have put more money in the hands of both the employee and the employer.
"Another part of my plan to jumpstart America is to eliminate the inheritance tax, which is one of the most unfair taxes."
The congressman is also fighting to cut the capital gains and dividends tax to stimulate and encourage investment and wants to "make bonus depreciation permanent at a 100% level."
He explained, "Allowing for 100% depreciation of fixed assets will allow businesses to deduct tangible personal property from the tax base in the year of the purchase. Bonus depreciation is another way to reduce the tax bias against investment."
Williams too laid out his plan to keep LIFO accounting methods in place.
"Repealing the Last In, First Out accounting method would force companies using this method to report their LIFO reserves as income, resulting in a massive tax increase for both large and small businesses," he said.
Last but not least Williams expressed the need for our country to move away from a minimum wage.
"Let the business owners compete over the worker and the worker's wages will automatically go up," he said.
"We've seen attempts at socialism. It's happening before our very eyes, and what do we get? Burdensome reforms and high unemployment rates… the Texas economy is strong, but it could be even better.
"Take Obama's restrictive healthcare reforms off of the business owner, put money in their pockets and let them compete for the worker, and we can jumpstart America.
"That's why I'm here," he said, "and that's what your congressman is working for in Washington. Let's jumpstart America."