Nearly 50 attendees representing Southern California’s tech industry and academia gathered at Irvine Valley College in Orange County, CA, on May 10 for a wide-ranging program featuring U.S. Congressman John Campbell. It was the third program of the new and growing Southern California TechVoice Chapter; a collaboration between CompTIA and the OC TechAlliance.
Click here to view photos from the event.
As chairman of the Southern California TechVoice Chapter, I had the privilege of moderating the interactive program with Campbell on issues ranging from taxation to immigration reform. Campbell chairs the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade and is a member of the House Budget Committee.
Congressman Campbell noted there are major tax reform efforts underway in both the House and Senate. He explained the core principles of these reform efforts are to lower corporate and individual rates while eliminating current and popular deductions including mortgage interest and charitable giving. The Congressman said the ultimate success of such dramatic reform is whether the “new code will be good enough to overcome the elimination of the various deductions.”
Continuing on the issue of tax reform, Campbell made clear he does not support an unpredictable tax code. He cited the example of the R&E tax credit continuously renewed by Congress while many in the tech industry want it for businesses of all sizes. However, Campbell cautioned that Congress making tax credits permanent is harmful to his goal of tax simplification.
On the issue of immigration reform, Campbell supports expansion of the H-1B visa program for highly-skilled, STEM-qualified workers. At the same time, he does not believe the U.S. permits enough people to enter legally. Campbell asserted, “Immigration is good for America.” He attributed Japan’s economic struggles in part to low legal immigration as well as low fertility rates and a homogenous society.
Campbell predicated that the U.S. Senate will move first on immigration. He was more sanguine about ultimate passage of comprehensive immigration reform than action on tax reform efforts.
Addressing the future of education, Campbell said there are too many students getting degrees in fields in which there are no jobs. “We have denigrated trade schools in community colleges, which is a bad thing,” Campbell said. Trade skills are vital and can lead to sustainable employment, he said.
Campbell responded to a student veteran attending Irvine Valley College who said he plans to transfer to a four-year university. He said whether or not getting a college degree is necessary needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Campbell, who has served as an adjunct professor at Pepperdine University, strongly supports higher education but said not everyone needs to earn a degree in order to secure gainful employment.
Finally, on the issue of maintaining a strong business climate, Campbell is concerned that excessive taxes and regulation are forcing California businesses to rethink their location and consider moving operations to other states.
Overall, it was an engaging and well-attended forum. I am grateful to our gracious host Irvine Valley College and Campbell for answering some difficult questions in a forthright manner. I know the attendees felt the event was an excellent opportunity to network with peers and become better educated on decisions in Washington that can significantly impact our businesses.
Dan Shapero is chairman of TechVoice Southern California and founder of ClikCloud.
