FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                       
SEPTEMBER 27, 2007                                               
CONTACT: Mick Bullock (769) 798-7268

Expanding Economic Opportunities for All Mississippians

Phil Bryant believes that every Mississippian should have the opportunity to achieve economic well-being for themselves and their family. There is a role for state government in helping individuals and businesses reach the goal of economic success. The Bryant Campaign has proposed a number of ideas and initiatives toward that goal.

• Perform a total review of the Mississippi Tax Code to ensure
  fairness and accountability.

Mississippi ranks 33rd among all the states in total taxes paid per capita (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). Mississippians deserve a tax break but it must be done responsibly and in a manner that helps stimulate economic growth in the state so that state government is able to meet its obligations to the taxpayers in areas such as education, health care and public safety. Undertaking a comprehensive review of the state tax code with an eye to modernizing the tax structure for the 21st Century is wise leadership.

• Continue working to rebuild the Gulf Coast.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina through able leadership and the perseverance of coastal residents. Housing is the greatest challenge now and its development is hampered by a number of factors not the least of which is a difficult private insurance market. The Katrina disaster is not over and state government must continue its strong commitment to recovery efforts.

• Help more Mississippians achieve the dream of home ownership by providing a $1000 state tax credit for first-time home buyers.

Few opportunities contribute more significantly to family and individual wealth than do home ownership. As well, new and existing home sales are leading indicators of a healthy economy and home ownership has major impact on economic development and local tax revenues. This initiative will significantly reduce the state income tax burden for first time home buyers.

• Support a Gulf of Mexico Economic Development Region between all Gulf Coast states from Texas to Florida for partnering in attracting economic development opportunities utilizing the Gulf of Mexico.

With the growth of mega-developments like Nissan in Canton and Toyota in Blue Springs, the value of more regional based economic development efforts is becoming evident. Promoting regional transportation networks, including our Gulf of Mexico ports, region-wide university R & D capabilities, and regional workforce availability will enhance opportunities to continue having major economic development projects located within our region.

• Increase funding for Mississippi’s tourism promotion to ensure that all of Mississippi is marketed as a destination.

Budget constraints have for years limited state tourism promotion efforts to concentrate on marketing our major attractions. For a relatively small investment in our promotion efforts, we can better share the many hidden treasures and lesser known points of interest across our state encouraging visitors to Mississippi to return and spend more time with us.

• Integrated workforce development with industry.

A high-performance workforce will be the most important factor for the future success of Mississippi manufacturers. We need an integrated training system that matches the needs of the manufacturing sector with the goals of the educational system in order to maintain an adequate manufacturing workforce with the skills that will be required in a competitive world.

• Town Square Retail Development Zones

Create a tax incentive to aid retail business development within an established “town square” zone with the goal being to preserve central commercial districts around our historical town squares.