The IRA charitable exclusion, as well as corporate taxation, are among the issues that will be taken back to the office of a state senator.

Those were among the issues raised by members of the Palmerton Area Chamber of Commerce during their monthly luncheon on Tuesday.Peter Kern, chamber president, told members he received a phone call from the office of state Sen. Robert Casey and spoke with the regional manager.Kern said the regional manager has scheduled for him and Borough Manager Rodger Danielson to meet with Sen. Casey's representative on May 20.The purpose of that meeting, Kern said, will be to pass along some preliminary information on issues that should be brought to the senator's attention.That will eventually lead to a meeting with business leaders and the public at a future date, he said.Kern asked chamber members to think about "What is important to us that should be on the radar screen of Sen. Casey?"Among the issues brought forth by the chamber were:• That the IRA Charitable Exclusion should be extended.• Whether or not our country is competitive with foreign countries with regard to Corporate Taxation so that more jobs are not lost overseas.• That Regulatory Environment is particularly onerous for the small corporations, small banks, and professionals such as accountants, as the filing requirements are costly, and make the smaller banks and similar organizations less competitive in their home community.Kern assured chamber members their concerns would be shared at next week's meeting with Casey's representative."The chamber members believe that more frequent communication between ourselves and our federal representatives is desirable," he said. "In the past, our former congressional representative held period meetings in the local communities to learn more about the concerns of the citizens he represented in Washington, D.C."In other business, it was announced that the chamber's next scheduled meeting will be he held at noon on June 10 at "The Other Side" Restaurant in Neffs.At that time, the communities of Lower Carbon and Northern Lehigh will get together for the annual municipal update.