|
BUILD NOW FOR THE FUTURE: A BLUEPRINT FOR ECONOMIC CHANGE On September 30, 2009 AGC of America rolled-out a comprehensive recovery plan for the construction industry: “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Change"; which outlinea a series of commonsense incentives, tax credits and policy changes to stimulate new private and public sector demand for construction. Along with a comprehensive recovery plan for the construction industry, AGC releases city-by-city construction employment figures for 336 major metropolitan areas, showing declines in construction employment in 94% of the country's major population centers. The construction industry is sorely lagging in the nation's slow economic recovery. With the construction industry comprising about 5% of total employment, construction unemployment is 16.5% - nearly double the national average! AGC has developed an action plan to address this crisis. AGC's Recovery Plan is a mix of new incentives, tax cuts, policy revisions and infrastructure investments needed to stem a dramatic decrease in construction activity and employment, nationwide. Among other provisions, AGC's Plan calla for doubling federal investment in transportation infrastructure, restoring the purchasing power of the gas tax, and moving to pay-as-you-go fees for transportation infrastructure, based on "vehicle miles traveled" rather than relying exclusively on a flat cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline and diesel fuel. AGC's Plan will pair new costs with new sources of revenue.
|