On behalf of the Center, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas! Recently, Rhode Island families have received a gift… the “Tax Cuts & Jobs Act” has passed federally. The reality of these reforms could mean that more businesses choose to relocate or become established in America, and in states like Rhode Island. Ironically, Rhode Island’s political class, incessantly in search of new revenues, is criticizing the recently passed reform which could generate more statewide revenues in a more responsible way than any other scheme they have devised themselves.

Because of these federal tax reforms, the Ocean State will no longer need to subsidize taxpayer-funded corporate hand-outs in order to see more and better paying jobs organically grow in our state. Our Center has regularly maintained that if more Rhode Islanders are to have more opportunities to work in better-paying jobs, then more and better businesses must be free to grow when more disposable personal and corporate income becomes available to re-invest in business enterprises. Ours is the vision that will empower the people of Rhode Island to achieve their dreams.

A free-market approach to economic development benefits far more people and creates far more growth than our state’s existing crony-socialism approach. For too long, there has only been one way of doing things in the Ocean State. We have seen the results in our state’s failing rankings. Instead, we have advocated that broad-based, pro-growth tax and regulatory reforms – like those that just passed the US Congress – that will lessen burdens on every business and most families in our state – are the only means by which more and better companies will produce more and better-paying jobs.

It is alarming that state officials would deny tax cuts to families and businesses, just to advance their partisan class-warfare narrative. Rhode Islanders have had enough of the insider machine. You are powerful. You do not have to tolerate the cronyism and elitist attitude that forgets the real people of our state any longer. Don’t be on the sidelines. The rigged system in the Ocean State has kept too many people out of the process. Now is the time for you to speak out and demand that the status quo changes.