Scott Honour, one of four Republican primary candidates for Minnesota governor, on Monday released a two-page jobs and economic plan that called for cutting tax rates, reducing regulations and rolling back future minimum-wage increases.
The business executive pledged to reduce individual and corporate tax rates, eliminate special interest loopholes and estate taxes Honour said hurt small business and farm operators.
Honour's plan comes about a week before the Aug. 12 primary. The rookie political candidate is vying for Minnesotans' vote against Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert and former House Speaker Kurt Zellers. The winner will face DFL Gov. Mark Dayton this fall in the general election.
In a nearly 30-minute news conference, Honour offered a broad outline of what he would do if he were elected governor. He said he would speed up business permitting processes, and he also criticized the state's business and tax climate, saying it has caused companies to leave Minnesota.
"We're a state with great potential. We have great resources. We have terrific people," Honour said. "But we're seeing that talent not being used in the best way possible."
The Republican primary candidate, flanked by his running mate state Sen. Karin Housley, R-St. Marys Point, also criticized the state's minimum wage law. He said any future wage increases to basic pay would require legislative approval rather than tied be to inflation.
Carrie Lucking, executive director of the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, said in a statement that Honour's idea to "roll back improvements to the minimum wage will take money out of working families' pockets to line their CEO's coffers."
"What I want to see is an economy where companies raises their wages because it's in the best interest of everyone," he said.
Honour's plan also offered positions on other topics such as energy policy, promising to repeal "costly" wind and solar mandates. He said he also supports mining in the Iron Range and wants to reform education, in part, by reducing administrative expenses.
