Local leaders in economic development and business were scheduled to join with representatives of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce this afternoon to discuss a new plan for improving the state's competitiveness.
The plan, Indiana Vision 2025, was developed by the state chamber with the help of a task force of 24 leaders in business, education and government. The press conference scheduled at Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne corporate offices, 7100 W. Jefferson Blvd., is part of an effort to stimulate discussion of the plan and its goals.
The plan outlines a long list of specific goals that, if achieved, would create a stronger workforce, a more attractive climate for business, better infrastructure and a more creative, dynamic culture.
Among the key goals Vision 2025 establishes:
• Increase the proficiency of Indiana students in math, science and reading to “Top 5” status internationally.
• Eliminate the educational achievement gaps at all levels, from pre-school through college, for disadvantaged populations.
• Increase to 60 percent the proportion of Indiana residents with high quality postsecondary credentials.
• Develop, implement and fully fund a comprehensive plan for addressing the skills shortages of adult and incumbent workers
who lack minimum basic skills.
• Enact comprehensive government reform at the state and local levels to increase efficiency and effectiveness in delivery of
services.
• Reform public pension systems to achieve fairness and cost-containment.
• Preserve and enhance a “Top 5” ranking among all states for Indiana's legal environment.
• Eliminate the business personal property tax.
• Eliminate the state inheritance tax.
• Promote the enactment of a federal solution to the Internet sales/use tax dilemma.
• Streamline and make consistent the administration of the state's tax code.
• Establish government funding mechanisms to more closely approximate “user fee” model.
• Contain health care costs through patient-directed access and outcomes-based incentives.
• Reduce smoking levels to less than 15 percent of the population.
• Return obesity levels to less than 20 percent of the population.
• Create and implement a plan to position Indiana as a net exporter of energy.
• Diversify Indiana's energy mix with an emphasis on clean coal, nuclear power and renewables.
• Identify and implement workable energy conservation strategies.
• Develop and implement a strategic water resource plan that ensures adequate fresh water for citizens and business.
• Develop and implement new fiscal systems to support the array of infrastructure projects critical to economic growth.
• Aggressively build out the state's advanced telecommunications networks.
• Develop entrepreneurship and aggressively promote business start-ups through education, networking, investment and
financial support.
• Increase the amount of technology transfer from higher education institutions and attain “Top 5” ranking per capita among
all states.
• Achieve “Top 12” ranking among all states in number of utility patents per worker.
• Achieve “Top 12” ranking among all states in venture capital invested per capita.
