Gov. Scott Walker said he hasn't given up on his campaign promise to create 250,000 jobs by the end of next year.
He touted the success of his economic policies at the annual gathering of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business group. Business leaders applauded the governor when he reminded them of the manufacturing and agriculture tax credit included in his latest budget that takes effect this year.
“If you're in manufacturing and agriculture you have one of the most effective tools in the country right here in Wisconsin,” says Walker. “You have effectively wiped out almost all of your taxable liability in production in the state of Wisconsin.”
On the job creation front, the state is still more than 100,000 jobs short of the quarter of a million jobs target the governor set when he took office. But he says state has already surpassed another target he set: the launching of more than 10,000 new businesses. He said by late August there have been almost 12,000 new business startups. He predicted those new businesses will fuel the creation of new jobs.
Walker: “Even if every one of them started out with just two employees, six months from now as we continue to make it easier for entrepreneurs and small businesses owners to grow, each of those two employees at each of those business become four, and then maybe six months later those four become eight … You can see how we aggressively get on our path to help the people of our state create 250,000 new jobs.”
Walker also predicted the funds included in his budget to boost job training programs in the state's technical colleges will help close the skills gap that he says is preventing many manufacturing and high tech businesses from creating more jobs.
