YORK--Tom Baughman started his company "New Concept Technology" in his basement in 1985.

And right now, the York businessman said, taxes are suffocating his company's ability to grow.

Baughman was among a half-dozen business owners brought in to a York factory Saturday to meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in a roundtable to talk about proposed changes to the country's tax code.

The discussion occurred in front of an invitation-only audience of about 120 local Republicans.

Baughman told Pence he needs to be able to invest in expensive new machinery quickly to keep up with rapidly changing technology. If he doesn't move fast enough, Baughman said, the contracts he's competing for go to overseas companies.

"We are capital-dependent," Baughman said, in asking Pence for tax relief.

Pence visited York as part of a series of events across the country to get feedback from families and business owners and generate support for tax reform.

Republicans in Congress are working to come up with a bill to satisfy President Donald Trump's demands to overhaul and simplify the country's tax code.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry helped chair Saturday's roundtable by introducing various business owners and allowing them to share their tax hardships directly with Pence. The vice president took notes as business owners spoke and said he would use what he learned in York as "ammunition" to help Congress pass a bill that could represent the largest tax cuts in history.

Earlier this year, Trump unveiled a broad template for tax reform predicated on the idea that putting more money in the pockets of middle class families and business owners would jumpstart the economy into creating more jobs.

Since then, much debate has ensued about whether the particular tax cuts Trump is championing would create jobs and benefit the middle class, or simply represent a boon for the wealthiest Americans and balloon the national debt by $1.3 trillion.

The business owners in York said tax cuts are necessary for them to compete and survive. Many owners told stories of losing employees and customers over the decades as they lost their ability to compete against countries with lower tax rates and less regulations.

Craig and Michelle Siewert, who own the nuts and bolts factory that Pence toured Saturday, said increasing capital costs and skyrocketing health care costs have made it difficult to thrive in recent years.

Craig Siewart said he hoped legislators would pass "meaningful reform and not get watered down in the process."

Charlie Burnside, owner of Maple Donuts, asked Pence to get rid of all the loopholes in the tax code for a "level-playing field." He said he thinks Trump's proposal doesn't go far enough.

Pence responded that Trump is committed to cutting business taxes from 35 percent to 20 percent.

"That's what I wanted to hear," Burnside said. "Of course we're going to reinvest the money and that creates other jobs."

Tighe King, CEO of Perform Group and a distinguished Vietnam War pilot, said he used to employ 500 people at three factories. Now he's down to 300 employees at one factory.

Over the years, King said he reluctantly cut the number of American contractors and instead outsourced the majority of his products "to survive."

"It's difficult to be competitively-priced," he said. "Customers used to look for style first, then quality and price. Now it's price, price, style."

Pence spent nearly two hours at the York factory and ended the event by saying he and Trump understand that tax cuts are necessary to "invite investment" to achieve sustainable growth.

He asked for the crowd's help in convincing both Republican and Democratic members of Congress to approve the tax cuts "and we need to see the cuts this year."

Last month, Trump made an appearance at Harrisburg International Airport to promote his tax proposal.