Rubio Campaign Press Release - How Marco Will Boost Innovators Like Uber

If there's one thing that matters in the 21st century economy, it's innovation. In order to be the leading economy on earth, America must be the most innovative economy on earth. It's that simple.

And whenever we talk about innovation, what we're talking about is problem solving. We're talking about finding ways to do things more efficiently, more affordably, and more conveniently than ever.

One innovation entrepreneurs have come up with in recent years is the so-called "sharing economy." Companies like Uber and Airbnb enable workers and consumers to provide or purchase the goods and services when they want, how they want.

Unfortunately, government can get in the way, and outdated labor regulations, new taxes, and other harmful policies can prevent new, innovative businesses and technologies from ever being able to get off the ground.

Here's a few of Marco's proposals to protect innovators and consumers, and ensure that we can create a New American Century:

Protect Innovation from Regulators

Federal regulators usually provide cost-benefit analyses for proposed regulations. But the status quo neglects the important question of whether the proposed rule will be an impediment to innovation, cause industries to consolidate into just a few firms, reduce consumer choice, or otherwise inhibit genuine competition.

Agencies need to look at how their rules will affect the free-enterprise system. Marco will direct the agencies to issue a Competition and Innovation Analysis for all major rules. Any rules that will hurt the innovative, competitive system will be sent back for revision or rejected.

Stop New Online Sales Taxes

Currently, state and local governments can tax only those businesses with a physical location, such as a storefront or warehouse, within their boundaries. Proposals such as the Marketplace Fairness Act would massively expand their taxing powers, potentially subjecting online retailers to thousands of different tax systems and audits from those jurisdictions. The Act would impose huge compliant costs and new taxes on online retailers, which would fall particularly hard on smaller businesses.

The more resources online retailers have to put into mandates like this, the less they can devote to growing their businesses and creating jobs. Marco is opposed to the creation of an online sales tax and will veto any attempts to raise taxes on businesses.

Prevent Burdensome Taxation of Digital Goods and Services

Today, if a consumer downloads a song or app while traveling in another state, the state the consumer is visiting, the state housing the server providing the song, and the consumer's home state could all claim the authority to tax the same transaction.

Marco supports providing clarity for the taxation of digital goods and stopping multiple taxes from being imposed by numerous state and local tax authorities. Consumers shouldn't have to worry about incurring additional taxes based on server locations or where they are when they make their digital purchase, and sellers shouldn't be burdened with complex calculations about which jurisdictions they must collect taxes on behalf of. Marco supports limiting tax jurisdiction over digital goods to a single address.

Reallocate Wireless Spectrum to Meet Commercial Needs

Marco supports reallocating wireless spectrum controlled by the federal government, to shift it toward commercial wireless services, and supports increasing transparency about how the resource is allocated and improving the federal government's wireless infrastructure. Smarter use of the wireless spectrum will boost innovation, lower costs for consumers, and broaden the range of wireless services available.

Vigorously Defend Internet Freedom

President Obama's Net Neutrality takeover of the Internet, which subjects 21st-century technology to an early-20th century regulatory system, will hamper innovation and raise costs for Internet users. Marco will repeal it as president.

The existing governance system for the Internet has allowed the technology to flourish and incredible innovation to occur. Marco will build off unanimous support of a resolution he passed in the U.S. Senate to fight proposals from foreign governments to gut current multi-stakeholder governance of the Internet.

On Video

Speeches & Op-Eds

Marco on how to get government out of the way of the 21st century economy. (New York City, October 6, 2015)

Marco on how government is crashing the Internet party. (Politico, March 17, 2015)

An excerpt from Marco's book American Dreams on how to make America safe for Uber.