Florida Sen. Marco Rubio debuted a new policy aimed at strengthening American families Friday at a gathering of social conservatives in Washington, D.C.
During remarks at the annual Values Voter Summit, Rubio, who’s comes in third in the latest Washington Examiner presidential power rankings, announced a proposal to provide a limited 25 percent nonrefundable tax credit to U.S. businesses offering between four and 12 weeks of paid leave.
“For instance, if you are offered $1,600 in paid leave for four weeks while you take care of your newborn, which would be the equivalent of about $10 an hour, your employer could claim a tax credit for $400,” Rubio explained to the crowd.
The Florida senator touted his new proposal as a “creative application” of free enterprise principles, and one that encourages businesses to increase paid family leave without mandating it through government.
“This won’t solve every scheduling conflict between work and family life – no policy can,” Rubio said. “But it will help ensure that our people don’t have to sit behind a desk while the most profound moments of their lives pass them by.”
“And it will help our businesses expand and create new jobs by allowing them to keep more of their money rather than send it to Washington,” he added.
The new tax credit joins a handful of contemporary tax reform proposals included in Rubio’s economic agenda, which he has frequently described as capable of building a “new American century.”
The Florida Republican said Friday his newest proposal is “only a step” toward reclaiming the American Dream.
