Onorato seeks science votes in West Philadelphia

    Democrat running for Pennsylvania Governor says too many tech and science businesses start here but leave

    Pennsylvania gubernatorial hopeful Dan Onorato was trolling for votes in West Philadelphia Tuesday. Onorato took the opportunity to discuss the importance of keeping young minds and new companies in-state.

    Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato says Pennsylvania needs to create a climate where private businesses want to set up shop and stay.

    He says the state’s corporate income tax rate and inflexible regulatory agencies – like PennDOT – are unwelcoming to new businesses.

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    The result – Onorato says – is that companies move away and take new college graduates with them.

    “We do a good job of bringing the brain power here and getting the ideas ready to go and spitting them out of these universities. But we probably don’t do a very good job of getting ready to keep those companies here in the Commonwealth and preparing them to stay here and to keep the people here.”

    Onorato says investing in new innovative companies and having a more effective tax abatement program can help create a healthy crop of businesses.

    Onorato will face Republican Attorney General Tom Corbett in the November election.

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