‘Don’t turn back the clock’: Republican businesses warn against Gillumnomics

Entrepreneus from the Republican-leaning National Federation of Independent Businesses backed in a letter Friday the tax policies of Republican gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis.

This is a chaser to NFIB’s September endorsement of DeSantis, the “clear choice for small business owners in the Governor’s race.”

The language, and concerns, were similar: DeSantis will maintain the status quo. And Gillum is a trip into uncertain territory.

“DeSantis is committed to the policies that will continue our state on the path to economic prosperity. Andrew Gillum is committed to policies that will hinder our state’s businesses and damage our economic well-being. Florida can’t afford to turn the clock back now,” the signatories assert.

This letter extends the news cycle for an endorsement of DeSantis’ policies (and castigation of Democrat Andrew Gillum‘s policies) from the free-market James Madison Institute.

DeSantis’ approach, per JMI, would “lead to the creation of 215,000 jobs annually and $26.6 billion in annual economic output.” Gillum’s way would lead to peril, costing 155,000 jobs and $28.2 billion in economic losses per year.

The most quotable parts of the Friday letter: more condemnation of Gillum’s plans, panned as Venezuela-style socialism by Republicans.

“Gillum’s plan to raise the corporate tax rate, double the minimum wage and mandate a complete government takeover of healthcare will radically alter the business climate and impede entrepreneurs’ abilities to operate successfully and grow our economy,” the signatories assert.

“In fact, JMI’s report states that ‘the policy agenda Candidate Gillum proposes would require an increase in the corporate tax rate to the 2nd highest in the United States, an increase in Florida’s sales tax to 39 percent, or the imposition of a state income tax as high as 37 percent’ – all possibilities that would jeopardize the low-tax business climate we’ve worked so hard to create, turning the clock back on our state’s businesses and erasing our economic gains,” the signatories warn.

In contrast, DeSantis’ “pro-growth agenda would keep Florida’s taxes low, remove roadblocks to business by eliminating burdensome government regulation, attract more businesses to the state and continue to grow jobs for all Floridians.”