FBIA explains positions

Editor's note: The Flathead Business and Industry Association's political action committee will support Bill Kahle, Phil Mitchell and Chris Hyatt for Whitefish City Council this year.

The Flathead Business and Industry Association (FBIA) is celebrating 20 years of being an advocate for job creation and economic development in Northwest Montana.

We've accomplished much over the past two decades, but the tough economic times we face during this anniversary year have heightened concerns about the challenges that face our region in the future.

Beyond providing important services for our members, one of FBIA's primary functions is to provide information and feedback to our elected leaders about what government can best do to improve our economic climate. We recognize that a healthy economy is essential to creating new jobs and increasing wages.

To help keep that doctrine in focus, FBIA follows a few basic guiding principles in forming positive policy alternatives.

First, we believe that government should run like a business. Budget decisions should be transparent, with an eye toward controlling spending and using the taxpayer-dollar wisely.

We believe in low taxes both on businesses and residents. A high tax burden on residents increases our cost of living and makes our area less attractive to new business, and it depresses the local economy as fewer dollars circulate. A high tax burden on business hurts competitiveness and reduces their ability to make new investments in expansion, and wages and employee benefits.

We believe that government regulations should weigh potential impacts on businesses and residents carefully. Each new regulation government imposes takes up resources from business in the form of time and money spent to comply.

We believe that government should have a long-term economic development strategy that includes policies that support employers and employees. Without planning ahead for economic development, we'll never get our regional economy to that next level, where we can attract good, high-wage jobs.

Most of all, we believe government should be hospitable to everyone, residents and businesses alike. We should have a climate that people want to invest in, want to move to and want to be a part of. Business should not be treated like the bad guy; after all, businesses are the job providers and a significant part of our tax base.

This all combines to form a pro business environment that is good for the people who live in Northwest Montana, and good for the businesses that do so much for our community. These simple principles seem like common sense when read in this format, but it's amazing how quickly they can be forgotten when government gets pressured from special interest groups with an ax to grind.

FBIA will continue working to make our region a better place to live, work and raise a family. We're very proud of our past 20 years of serving the community, and looking forward to the next 20 and beyond.

Denise Smith is the executive director of the Flathead Business and Industry Association.