Rubio Champions Uber And Slams Gov’t Crackdown On The Sharing Economy

Guy Bentley on October 7, 2015

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio has given a vigorous defence of Uber and the sharing economy, calling for a cull of federal regulations stifling new businesses.

Rubio slammed federal and local regulators for restricting competition and failing to recognize the changing nature of the economy in a pitch to entrepreneurs and tech workers delivered in New York Tuesday

“The on-demand economy is a miracle that only American free enterprise could produce,” Rubio said. He added that it was “shameful that the biggest obstacle to the growth of this platform is our very own government.”

Likening the changes in America’s business landscape to the industrial revolution, the GOP candidate said “massive restructuring” was taking place across the country.

Rubio pledged to “place a cap on the amount regulations can cost our economy each year.” A move that will please sharing economy businesses and their customers.

“I will also require federal agencies to include an analysis of exactly how each proposed regulation would impact competition and innovation,” he said.

Rubio no doubt sees value in courting the well heeled tech community that has traditionally been a lucrative source of funding for Democrats. But Republican candidates who explicitly oppose costly regulations harming the tech industry may be able to shift allegiances in their favor.

The Florida senator’s pro-innovation stance may also appeal to younger voters who are more likely to use ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft. In his speech Rubio didn’t shy away from confronting the special interests who are pushing further regulation of ride-sharing companies.

“These companies are also the victims of a coordinated attack from established businesses, which influence the political process to pass new regulations that block competition. We’ve seen this play out with taxi companies lobbying to stop Uber,” said Rubio.

Rubio suggested there could be a new worker-tax classification to help clarify employment status while addressing labor market concerns. Uber and other companies are facing court battles over the status of their workers and whether they can be classified as employees or independent contractors.

Unlike most of the GOP field, Rubio may have more luck with the tech industry thanks to his position on immigration. While he does support stricter border control, Rubio has pushed for an increase in the number of H1B visas and argued the system needs substantial reform to provide a path to citizenship.

While Rubio does support stricter border controls he has pushed for an increase in the number of H-1B visas and argued the immigration system needs substantial reform and needs to provide a path to citizenship.

Rubio has enjoyed a boost in popularity since the second GOP debate and is now in fourth place, polling an average of 10 percent, according to Real Clear Politics.

The sharing economy is already playing a significant role in the labor market, with 2.1 million people put to work in the sector. It accounted for 30 percent of new jobs between 2010 and 2014, according to an American Action Forum (AAF) report.

The AAF analysis found that the number of workers in the sharing economy soared between 8.8 percent and 14.4 percent from 2002 to 2014. Over the same time period, overall employment rose by 7.2 percent.

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