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3 takeaways from Lehigh Valley Chamber's Economic Outlook event By Anthony Salamone•Contact Reporter Of The Morning Call The Chamber's annual economic forecast event is like a smorgasbord of information. January 25, 2017, 12:28 PM BETHLEHEM — The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce's Economic Outlook event offers a smorgasbord of information. It's a lot to consume at one sitting, and it can be hard to digest hours later. Seven experts spoke at this year's lunch event on the economy, labor, taxes and health care. And each topic seemed to have a Trump theme woven in. That said, here are several takeaways from the event, held Tuesday in front of 700 people at SteelStacks'ArtsQuest center in south Bethlehem. • There's something about Nancy – and we mean that with respect. Last year Nancy Dischinat brought an inflatable Superman statue on the stage while handing out a "Super Hero" award. This year Dischinat, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Workforce Development Board, stood between cutouts of people she named "Mary" and "Harry," representing the Lehigh Valley workforce. And she provided a raft of data about the workforce. She urged employers to encourage workers to continue their training. And she closed with a song about workforce development to the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider." A sample of her homespun lyrics: "In the Lehigh Valley, we were full of sass, then came the recession and kicked us in the ---." • The Lehigh Valley is a jobs center for a region beyond our borders. Don Cunningham, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. CEO, said about 92,000 workers come here each day from six adjacent counties and beyond. The Valley still sees about 100,000 residents commute daily to higher-paying jobs in the New York and Philadelphia regions, Cunningham said, but the ratio is narrowing. "As our cities continue to redevelop and grow with new housing, restaurants, nightlife and arts and entertainment destinations," Cunningham said, "the region will continue to draw residents from these areas." • Tax relief on the horizon? Tony Deutsch of Concannon Miller & Co. said this year might offer "significant tax law changes" with a Republican president and Congress. The last major tax reform happened during Ronald Reagan's second term in 1986, he said. President Trump, Deutsch said, ran on a pledge to reduce taxes for the middle class and a cut in the number of brackets. He gave an example of what a Trump tax cut could mean: A married couple with two children and $125,000 annual income pays $15,500 in income tax. Under Trump's proposal, the same family of four would see a $1,500 tax cut. Deutsch, who is shareholder-in-charge of tax services at Concannon Miller, believes the cuts are motivated to spur the economy among consumers. "Lower taxes mean, hopefully, more spending," he said. Read the original article here.