Gov debate: Jobs

How many jobs can you create if you’re elected? How can the state afford tax breaks to business if you’re going to spend more for higher education?

McKenna: It’s not something we can afford to do right away. The current threshhold doesn’t make sense, but after we’ve fully funded education and restored funding for higher education, we should look at. We need to centralize the collection of the B&O tax, like centralized sales tax would make more sense.

Inslee: Making promises you can’t fulfill is not the leadership the state needs. His promises can’t be kept. I have proposed a tax credit for research and development for small businesses, credits for hiring new employees.

McKenna: The congressman opposes B&O tax relief at any time.

Why target B&O tax relief to certain industries?

Inslee: We don’t have unlimited funds. We have to choose and we should not be waiting to building the industries of the next century.

McKenna: Why not give all businesses a fair chance to be successful.

Inslee: Cutting edge companies are growing in Washington, especially in Eastern Washington, seeds that we need to see sprout. A center for aviation biofuels at WSU. To make sure businesses compete with oil industries, allow R&D from our universities.

MKenna: Innovation occurs in many places, not just in hand-picked industries. Best approach is to be color blind in the kind of industries we’re supporting, green, blue collar or pink collar.

Inslee: Our existing industries aren’t color blind.

Follow up: What’s the balance between environment and job growth. What state restrictions are too strict:

McKenna: Inslee should have addressed federal assistance for those companes when he was in Congress. Shorelines management. We have local, state and federal, we should harmonize those rules and get more cleanup.

Inslee: Harmonizing means reduce our protections for clean air and clean water

McKenna: The Congressman has never seen a regulation he didn’t like.