Tax reform: It will stimulate manufacturing
The 1986 tax law included no tax writeoff for research, 35 years to write off capital expenses in buildings (compared to 1 to 3 years in most industrialized nations) and a machinery writeoff of 10 years (compared to 1 year for the rest of world).
This law penalized U.S. manufacturing. It also eliminated more than 20 million jobs paying $20 to $40 an hour.
It penalized the working class, mostly minorities, with little effect on the rich.
The proposed Republican tax law will reduce some of the penalties on U.S. manufacturing and create good-paying jobs.
John M. Curtis, South Hill
This story was originally published December 18, 2017 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Tax reform: It will stimulate manufacturing."