Governor Abbott Addresses 16th Annual U.S. India Chamber Of Commerce Banquet In Dallas
Governor Greg Abbott delivered the keynote address at the 16th annual U.S. India Chamber of Commerce reception banquet where he discussed with Indian-American business owners the merits of living and working in the State of Texas.
“It’s an honor to have America’s most important Indian-American business association right here in DFW,” Governor Abbott said. “Our mission to connect people to opportunity and help businesses grow is shared, and India and Indian-American businesses are a big reason for our state’s success. I want Texas to be #1 in trade with India, and working together, we can achieve that goal.”
Gov. Abbott’s U.S. India Chamber Of Commerce Remarks:
**Gov. Abbott often deviates from prepared remarks.
It is an honor to once again be with the Indian Consul General Parvathaneni Harish. Just a few weeks ago, I hosted the first ever Diwali celebration at the Governor’s Mansion. The Festival of Lights is a reminder of the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil and hope over despair. We are all called to be a shining light to the world around us.
It’s an honor to have America’s most important Indian-American business association right here in DFW. Our mission is shared – connecting people to opportunity by helping businesses grow.
Texas is the premier state for doing business because we know that it’s the private sector that creates jobs. We’ve been the top exporting state for 13 years, ranked the Best State For Doing Business for 11 years in a row and Texas was just listed as the top state for foreign and direct investment.
India and Indian-American businesses are a big reason for that success. Texas is the 4th largest exporter to India with about $2 billion shipped last year. Texas is the 4th largest importer at about $4 billion last year. But this is Texas and 4th place isn’t good enough. I want Texas to be #1 in trade with India. Working together, we can achieve that goal. And that might require a trade trip to India.
But our relationship is about far more than just commerce. The values we share, they transcend cultures. Values founded on family, faith, free enterprise and hard work. That’s why more than half a million Indian-Americans call Texas home.
Those values are reflected in people like my friend Dr. Renu Khator, the Chancellor and President at the University of Houston. She tells students, “If you are going to dream – dream big.” As she puts it, if a teenage immigrant girl with no knowledge of English can become president of a major American university, who’s to say you can’t achieve what you set out to do?
The values we share are also reflected in people like Dr. Vistasp Karbhari, the President of UT-Arlington. He advises students to strive for what others may consider impossible. Never be scared of stretching beyond your bounds because your abilities are limited only by what you believe are constraints.
That very notion of reaching for unlimited opportunity is what attracts business to Texas – from countries around the globe – even countries like California. Take my friend Jay Adair, the CEO of Copart. He moved his business from California to Texas. He said the reasons were simple – taxes were too high, regulations in California were out of control and unions had virtually hijacked the state. Jay looked at every state to relocate his business, and in looking at the bottom line, he chose Texas. But what he didn’t realize until he got here is that there’s something far more valuable about Texas – freedom.
That freedom has powered businesses like yours and propelled Texas to the economic pinnacle of the United States. Texans created more jobs last year than in any year in the history of our state.
Despite the fall in oil prices, Texas remains the land of opportunity. That’s because our economy has become diversified and resilient. It’s because Texas and Texans know how to overcome tough challenges.
Not long after my wife and I married, we faced a tough challenge ourselves. I realized our lives aren’t measured by how we are challenged. Instead, we are measured by how we respond to challenges.
That is the same principle that you apply every day. You have to deal with increasing challenges, challenges in making your business grow, meeting a payroll and navigating a maze of regulations and taxes.
As Governor, I focus on policies that reduce those challenges and make doing business in Texas even more rewarding.
In my first session as Governor, we cut taxes by $4 billion. That includes slashing the business franchise tax by 25%, allowing business owners to keep and invest more in their business. We also eliminated occupational license fees for 600,000 Texans and we fast tracked the permitting processes.
To make our infrastructure the best in America, we’re investing an unprecedented $4 billion a year to build more roads, without raising taxes, fees, tolls or debt.
Let me mention just one more thing we are doing. We’re building a premier education system. Texas was just recognized as having more public high schools than any state in the top 100 schools in the nation. #1 is in Dallas. But we’re not satisfied with that. So we’re doing more to build the skilled workforce you need in your businesses.
My new University Research Initiative is taking Texas to new heights in higher education. It’s a multi-million dollar fund to recruit the best and brightest researchers and scholars to our universities. They will develop top research centers and partner with the private sector to develop ideas that will transform the next generation.
We do these things and so much more with one goal in mind – we want Texas to remain the best state to start and grow a business.
The bottom line is, we want you to succeed. We need you to succeed. When you succeed, America succeeds.
May God bless you and your families, and may He forever bless the great State of Texas.