House Speaker Paul Ryan Tours Delco Factory, Talks Tax Reform
DELAWARE COUNTY, PA (CBS) -- During a visit to a Delaware County factory, House Speaker Paul Ryan toured the floor and spoke with workers about the tax reform framework being introduced in Washington.
Plugging the Republican Party's tax-cutting plan at Penn Machine Works pipe fitting plant in Aston, Speaker Ryan told workers it will liberate folks from our broken tax code.
He says the aim is to help companies like Penn Machine to compete with their counterparts around the world who are taxed at a lower level, sometimes nearly twice as low.
"What we want to do is get these tax rates down so our American jobs, especially manufacturing, can compete in this global economy," Ryan said.
Penn Machine President Joseph Pro says, with 185 diverse workers at the factory, he tries not to get involved in the political tug of war in Washington. But, he wants "clarity over tax codes and health care costs."
"We compete against imported product everyday. Taxation and environmental regulations, while they're very important, can become onerous," Pro said.
Pro says the company would like to see legislation that allows it to immediately re-capture investment in new equipment. Penn Machine Works is a family-run company founded in Philadelphia, in 1931.
When Speaker Ryan was in the area last January, he told a crowd of Republican lawmakers at a Center City retreat that the party planned to repeal the Affordable Care Act by the spring, and pass tax reform by the end of the summer.
Republicans are still searching for an accomplishment to take to voters in the 2018 midterm elections.
