AUSTIN, TEXAS - The Texas Association of Manufacturers (TAM) and its members gathered at the State Capitol today to celebrate Texas Manufacturers’ Day, impressing upon lawmakers that “manufacturing matters” to the state’s economy and the roughly 870,000 Texans who work in the industry.

Industry leaders urged elected officials to embrace legislation that would attract investment, grow jobs and strengthen the Texas workforce.

“The Legislature must maintain policies that keep Texas in the game to attract major investments and jobs here,” said Tony Bennett, president and CEO of TAM. “We need smart economic development tools, policies that strengthen our competitive position and a ready workforce for today’s manufacturing job opportunities.”

TAM and its members discussed the following specific issues during meetings at the Capitol today:

TAM supports renewal of Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code that allows counties and cities to offer temporary tax exemptions to attract new capital investment projects and all the quality jobs that accompany them.

“Texas has the fourth highest industrial property taxes of any state – 65% higher than the national average,” said Bennett. “Every other state in the nation will cheer if Texas abandons economic development by allowing Chapter 312 to expire.” Bennett noted that most states and countries offer similar economic development incentives. “Global competition for major manufacturing investment is fierce. We cannot afford to take our competitive edge for grants. Texans will lose if Chapter 312 expires,” he said.

On tax issues, Bennett said, “Broad-based, low rate tax policy that treats all taxpayers equally is important part of making a state a good place to do business. As our lawmakers address tax issues this session, we are reinforcing that no franchise tax cut is a substitute for a competitive property tax environment.”

TAM’s complete Top 10 policy priorities are available online at www.manufacturetexas.org, where visitors can also sign up for email updates and find the latest news from Texas manufacturers. Follow TAM on Facebook and Twitter.

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Contact: Gretchen Fox, 512-694-4326