Bush Faults Dukakis as ‘Anti-Business’

Republican George Bush today accused Michael S. Dukakis of pursuing an “anti-business scheme” as Massachusetts governor that has produced higher taxes and soaring business bankruptcies.

The vice president told the Bucks County Chamber of Commerce that his Democratic presidential rival this year “raised all sorts of taxes: the income tax, the sales tax and one that might be of special interest to this audience.”

That one, he said, involved a cutback in a “Subchapter S” tax law that had the effect of doubling taxes on Massachusetts businesses employing fewer than 35 people.

Attitude Problem

“A question of attitude,” Bush said. “It is here that I think my opponent fails. Frankly, since he’s never been in business, I don’t think he understands the full effect of his own anti-business scheme.”

Continuing several days of attacks on Dukakis’ home-state economic record, Bush said the governor is “out of the mainstream” of Democrats by opposing a reduction in the capital gains tax.

“Here is the most telling statistic of all for what a Dukakis Administration might mean for small business,” Bush said. “In the first six months of this year, the number of business bankruptcies nationally was down by 23.5% compared to the same period last year. In the exact same period, the number of business bankruptcies was up by 23.7% in Massachusetts.”

He Wants to Help

Bush said he wants to help small business with overhaul of product liability laws to keep insurance costs down.

The vice president also said that between 1980 and 1985 the number of businesses owned by women increased by nearly 50%.

The vice president’s planned visit today with Roman Catholic Archbishop Anthony Bevilaqua and retired Cardinal John Krol was postponed because of foggy weather that prevented the campaign plane from landing in Philadelphia.

Bush planned a light schedule of campaign appearances this week to give himself time to prepare for his first campaign debate with Dukakis on Sunday.

On Tuesday he will travel to New Jersey to visit the Annin flag company, a business he has cited in speeches as a sign that patriotism has been on the rise during the Reagan presidency. Bush said that flag sales were down when Jimmy Carter was President, but that after Reagan’s election, business was booming again.