‘We will make this the Silicon Bay of the East Coast’: David Craig

Six of seven candidates vying for the Maryland governorship in 2014 spent the morning of April 21 explaining to business and tech leaders why they deserve the votes of the state’s business community.
It was the Gubernatorial Candidates Forum put on by the Tech Council of Maryland. (Only Republican candidate Larry Hogan did not attend the event.)
Technical.ly Baltimore has been posting the main talking points of each candidate who spoke at the two-hour forum in Bethesda, Md., as they relate to their thoughts on the innovation and tech economy in the state. (Find other candidates’ talking points here.)
Up today: David Craig.

• The basics: Republican and Harford County executive who received an Innovator of the Year award from The Daily Record in 2011 for Harford County’s “use of Spigit, an online application that streamlines social musings about different community issues on the Internet to local businesses and governmental departments.”
• His one-liner: “We will make [Maryland] the Silicon Bay of the East Coast.”
• Three points:
  • Craig said he would eliminate the sales tax on products made and used by businesses in Maryland.
  • He said the corporate income tax rate in Maryland needs to be reduced from 8.25 percent to 4 percent, lower than it is in Virginia, in order to attract companies.
  • To lure younger people between the ages of 18 and 24 to attend college in the state, and then remain here after graduation, Craig thinks raising the minimum wage should be off the table. Instead, he said, the income tax should be lower for people at lower income levels.