A Centrist Agenda for Economic Growth

A Centrist Agenda for Economic Growth. By JIM OWENS
Freer trade plus lower corporate and investment taxes would go a long way.WSJ, May 03, 2010

The long-term health of the U.S. economy is at risk. There are signs of recovery from the worst recession since the Great Depression. But not enough.

We need a renewed, centrist political agenda to support economic policies that will enhance our global competitiveness. America cannot sustain itself as a great country without a strong economy. Yet significant economic decisions are made in Washington with little consideration as to how they will affect the global competitiveness of the small and large companies that employ our citizens.

Here are a few policy suggestions:

• Restore fiscal discipline. Simply stated, we must balance the books. This means deciding how much government we want and the best way to generate the tax revenues to pay for it.

To get there, federal and state governments must be required to use the same transparent accounting standards required of corporations for employee retirement benefits. With baby boomers retiring, we have a ticking time bomb on our hands. Transparency would make it clear to everyone just where the unfunded obligations are and get us on road to begin funding them. Further, we should mandate that federal budget deficits be balanced over a business cycle.

• Simplify the federal tax code with flat personal income taxes. This means incentivizing savings and investment with significantly lower rates for dividends and long-term capital gains. Use consumption taxes to raise additional funds to achieve social goals, such as lowering emissions or tobacco consumption.

• Tax business only on profits earned in the United States. This means adopting a territorial tax system for U.S.-based global companies, which will encourage them to repatriate global profits (billions await) to the United States and increase the likelihood of investment here. We should also recruit foreign direct investment to serve U.S. customers and to pay taxes to our government.

Recognizing that the U.S. has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, the government should not eliminate the current provision that allows companies to "defer" paying a U.S. tax on foreign income until it is brought back into this country. Over time this would destroy U.S.-based global companies.

• Increase infrastructure investment. Since the 1970s U.S. investment in infrastructure has grown at only half the rate of GDP growth. Today, our roads are crumbling, bridges are in need of repair, and our power grid is inefficient. Meanwhile, emerging economies (notably China, India and Brazil) are making huge investments in modern infrastructure.

Infrastructure is the foundation for an economy's global competitiveness. We don't want to wake up in 10 years and find ourselves hopelessly behind.

• Free up international trade. The U.S. needs to provide leadership for completion of the World Trade Organizations' Doha Development Round of Trade Negotiations. Moreover, Americans need to pressure Washington to ratify the three Free Trade Agreements (FTAs)—for Panama, Colombia and South Korea—that have already been negotiated. Passage of these agreements will show the world we're open for business, create immediate exports and related jobs, and it would also strengthen the economies of three important allies.

• Improve the health-care system's cost effectiveness. To get there, the country needs to further reform its tort system and to continue to adopt better information technology. It's also critical that consumers have access to better information on health-care prices and outcomes and to be able to purchase competitively priced insurance offered in other states. Finally, citizens must have a personal stake in the costs of their care, which will enable them to make prudent decisions.

• Reform immigration laws to make existing "guest" workers legal, tax-paying employees. We should provide legal avenues for guest workers to apply for U.S. citizenship. It is to our advantage to grant more visas to the best and brightest students from around the world who come to our best universities. Students receiving qualifying advanced degrees (such as in math and science) should get an automatic green card to work in our country.

• Maintain the independence of the Federal Reserve. The task of the central bank is to manage money supply to keep inflation low (0%-2%), employment high and the financial system healthy. Excessive political influence could prevent the Fed from taking decisive actions when needed.

These recommendations are not particularly novel. In fact, the majority of economists and business leaders I've talked to agree with virtually all of them. Real GDP growth of 3.5% over the next decade is an aggressive target—but achievable. We need to think like winners.

Mr. Owens is chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc.