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As governor, what would you do boost the economy of rural Indiana?
Indiana has a long and rich history of agricultural innovation and investment. For generations, our rural communities have been the backbone of Indiana’s economy.
For years, however, the divide between Indiana’s rural and urban communities has increased due to Indianapolis’ desire for unbridled economic growth without considering the interests of our rural communities.
We cannot let the political establishment make this the status quo.
Boosting rural Indiana’s economy must involve a multifaceted approach that addresses key challenges and leverages existing strengths. Our Pathway to Prosperity Plan will ease the burden on hardworking Hoosiers from Evansville to Elkhart.
We must encourage generational agriculture to remain a growing part of Indiana’s economic future. We do this by protecting the agricultural infrastructure and treating the agricultural industry with the respect it deserves in our business economy.
Our government must promote agricultural innovation through research and development initiatives and encourage the adoption of sustainable farming practices, advanced technologies and value-added agriculture products.
These initiatives work. What does not work is government-mandated winners and losers.
Take the Indiana LEAP project, for example. Instead of investing in struggling rural communities, the IEDC decided to invest millions of dollars in a wealthy Indianapolis suburb while small businesses on Main Street struggle to make ends meet.
Instead of choosing winners and losers—which is what the LEAP project is doing—our state government needs to be unleashing Hoosier entrepreneurs and promoting economic development throughout the state.
As governor, I will not allow the state’s economic development arm to unilaterally determine who will win and who will lose. Small towns and rural communities are the lifeblood of Indiana. We can’t lose sight of who we are while trying to attract who we aren’t.
Last year, our campaign released our Pathway to Prosperity plan that outlined how we will support Hoosiers who are simply trying to make ends meet.
Our plan takes a calculated approach to cutting taxes so hardworking Hoosiers get to keep more of their hard-earned money.
Our plan will reduce the gas tax to pre-2018 levels, making heavy machine operation and other fueling costs less expensive. A 0% tax rate on seniors’ retirement income means hardworking Hoosier farmers can retire and keep more of their hard-earned dollars. I also believe Hoosier farmland and equipment should be assessed at their agricultural value rather than their value as a commercial development.
By implementing these strategies and fostering a supportive ecosystem for economic development, rural Indiana can experience sustainable growth, create job opportunities and improve the overall well-being of its residents. Collaboration between government, businesses, educational institutions and community organizations is crucial in realizing the full potential of rural economies.•
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Hill is a Republican and former state attorney general. He previously served four terms as the Elkhart County prosecutor. Send comments on this column to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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