A lifetime without tax reform

Expansion plans of major players in the grocery business are bringing more competition and more jobs to our area as well as other regions of Georgia. It’s good news for consumers and the economy.

Lidl, the Germany-based global discount supermarket chain, plans to open stores in Rome and Calhoun with up to a dozen stores proposed elsewhere in the state. In addition, the company will invest $100 million over the next five years in a new regional headquarters and distribution center in Cartersville. It’s expected that 250 jobs will be created by this project, the company’s fourth such center, with others in North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia. Lidl operates more than 10,000 stores in 28 countries.

In Rome, Lidl will be the anchor tenant in a new 5-acre retail center on Shorter Avenue next to the Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation headquarters. Lidl opened its first 10 stores in the United States in mid-June and has plans for up to 100 stores along the East Coast by next summer, creating a total of 5,000 jobs.

Its big German-based rival, Aldi, which has a store in Rome, also plans to open stores in metro Atlanta and in the Savannah area. Aldi, which entered the U.S. market decades ago, plans to expand to 2,500 stores nationwide over the next five years, creating 25,000 new jobs and making the company third largest in terms of store count in America, the company says.

All this competition between these low-price rivals — as well as other established grocery chains — bodes well for consumers, while the expansion projects will generate substantial economic growth and provide needed jobs in Northwest Georgia and across the state.

The Cartersville project was announced by Gov. Nathan Deal, who credited Georgia’s “business-friendly climate and robust workforce.” He duly noted that “Georgia is a gateway to the Southeastern market and beyond,” providing the logistics infrastructure needed by retail businesses.

Credit Gov. Deal with building an impressive record of business growth. Just during June, he announced several projects by foreign-owned companies in addition to Lidl. Czech Republic-based SILON, a leading producer of technical compounds and polyester staple fibers, will invest $20 million in new Peachtree City facility, creating more than 20 jobs. Carcoustics, another Germany-based supplier to the automotive industry, plans a facility in Buford, investing $6 million and creating 200 jobs over the next five years.

Also the Boston Consulting Group, a global management and consulting firm, announced plans to invest $9.2 million in a new regional support center in Atlanta, adding more than 500 jobs over the next 10 years, including many high-skilled positions. This new investment “will have an estimated $52.7 million total economic impact” on Atlanta, according to Invest Atlanta President and CEO Eloisa Klementich.

Along with the governor, local officials deserve credit for these successes. Cartersville Mayor Matt Santini pointed out the city and county work together “to provide an atmosphere that is conducive for quality businesses to locate and thrive.” He noted the role of the Bartow-Cartersville Joint Development Authority as well as the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

To make the Rome project possible, the City Commission approved a property swap, clearing the way for the needed tracts to be assembled.

The bottom line: Our state, our community and our region are among the best places anywhere to do business, to live and work. Congratulations to all the local and state leaders who had a part in these latest successes.

Birthdays are magical events that not only bring about celebrations with family and friends, but they also offer a time of reflection on the past year. This time of reflection is often amplified on milestone birthdays even more so. In just a few short weeks, I will celebrate a milestone birthday, and as I reflect upon my life, I’ve realized that the American tax system has not undergone true reform during my lifetime. It is time to modernize our outdated tax system for the citizens of the Peach State and the United States.

When passed in 1986, our current tax code disrupted markets around the world and yielded positive results for the U.S. economy. However, just as time ages the body, slowing the speed of reaction and recovery, time, too, has aged our tax code. What was once a nimble aggressive tax structure has since transformed into a metaphorical middle-ager who needs a tube of icyhot to get through a church league softball game. Along with being incredibly time consuming and cumbersome for every day Americans to understand, our nation’s current tax code deprives law abiding American taxpayers of an even economic playing field. As the vice chairman of Georgia’s chief tax policy committee, I often hear stories of middle-class Georgians who struggle to keep their businesses afloat under America’s outdated tax system. Behind these businesses are hardworking, entrepreneurial individuals, many of whom are veterans and single mothers who deserve better.

In an ever-growing international economy, our Georgia businesses compete not only with businesses in neighboring states, but with businesses across the globe. Unfortunately for Georgia grown companies, America’s corporate tax rate, at 35 percent, is the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. On top of having a corporate tax rate well above those of our fellow G7 nations, our tax code is one of the most complicated tax systems on the international stage. Hours of American productivity are lost each year as taxpayers struggle to untangle the United States’ convoluted tax code. American tax payers should not be forced to sacrifice their precious time and resources to satisfy Uncle Sam’s tax liability. REP. TREY KELLEY Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Fortunately for Americans, a Republican led Congress and Republican president offer a oncein-a-generation opportunity to reform our outdated tax code. I am hopeful that our leaders in Congress and the White House will work through the minor differences between their respective plans and deliver solutions for American taxpayers. As a Republican, I feel our party cannot afford to miss the opportunity to bring about meaningful, substantial tax reform. The entire nation is diligently watching our party to see if we can make good on one of our central campaign promises. If we allow the media talking heads to correctly predict that the Republican Party cannot reconcile our differences and govern effectively, I fear the GOP will not retain control of power in Washington. Despite the Republican Party’s differing tax plans, Democratic Party bosses lose sleep at night worrying about the impact successful Republican led tax reform will have on the electorate. Ending the nightmare that is the current American tax code would unleash the true potential of the American economy, and allow small businesses to grow and thrive in a way that would help erase our national debt and bring millions of Americans out of poverty. Reform that allows hardworking individuals to keep their hard-earned dollars in their own pockets would certainly yield rewards for Republicans at the ballot box.

Americans have waited far too long for a new tax code. I, for one, have been waiting my whole life. As I blow out the candles on my birthday cake this year, I hope I will no longer need to wish for a tax code that works for Georgians and Americans.

Rep. Trey Kelley represents the citizens of District 16, which includes portions of Bartow, Haralson, and Polk counties. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2012, and currently serves as the vice chairman on the Ways and Means Committee and the secretary on the Judiciary and Higher Education committees. He also serves on the Energy, Utilities, and Telecommunications, Health and Human Services, and Code Revision committees. Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com