Cheat sheet: How John Hickenlooper would address the economy

[brooklynite]

Politico

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a small businessman who opened brewpubs in Denver and across the Midwest, is unveiling his plan to boost the U.S. economy by embracing what he sees as the power of private industry.

“We can make the private sector into a stronger engine of opportunity and innovation, rather than having it continue as America’s favorite political piñata,” he will say Friday in a speech in New Hampshire.

Hickenlooper proposes raising the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour. He also wants to tackle college affordability by cutting the federal interest rate on all student loans to 2.5 percent. Additionally, he pledges to make community college free and “launch the biggest expansion of apprenticeships and training in American history.”

His proposal calls for creation of an “entrepreneurship tax credit” for small businesses and a “micro-enterprise tax credit” for businesses with five employees or fewer and up to $10 million in revenue. He also calls for creating incentives for startups “in rural and distressed areas,” doubling the federal earned income tax credit, taxing capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income and ending tax loopholes for “very wealthy” Americans who pass portfolios to their children.