Former Gov. George Allen (R) promoted his plan to help create a better environment for small businesses to grow Monday in a campaign stop in Vienna.

Allen, the Virginia GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate, joined state Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jimmy Rhee in a roundtable discussion with small-business and community leaders at Samsung TechWin on Boone Boulevard.

"Freedom and opportunity draws people from around the world to our nation to reach their American Dream, from opening their own business to receiving education," Allen said. "But far too many people are seeing diminished opportunities as a result of Washington's policies that are discouraging small businesses from investing and hiring more people."

Allen says he has a pro-jobs growth plan that would reduce taxes on "job creators" from 35 percent to 20 percent and promotes deregulation.

Allen's stop in Vienna was part of his Virginia Voices tour, which aims to highlight the concerns of "Virginians whose voices are not being heard in Washington."

Democratic candidate Tim Kaine has said he would encourage most of tax cuts for the wealthy given under President George W. Bush be renewed, a departure from the Obama Administration's view. Kaine said the tax cuts should expire for those earning more than $500,000, rather than the $250,000 threshold set by the Obama Administration.

"If everyone sets partisanship aside, we can find the right balance between helping families and businesses, and making progress toward reducing the deficit," Kaine said in a statement July 9. "... My opponent has consistently called for an all-cuts approach that will not only hurt middle class families, but will weaken our economy and halt our recovery by slashing spending in areas like education, infrastructure, Medicare, Social Security and national defense."