WSJ: States luring biz from Taxifornia

by CalWatchdog Staff | January 3, 2013 8:56 am

[1]Jan. 3, 2013

By John Seiler

Despite a slight improvement in the unemployment level to a still horrific 9.8 percent in November[2], California remains a terrible place in which to do business. The Wall Street Journal yesterday reported [3]on how other states are luring businesses out from behind the California Curtain to freedom.

It describes how Replico Corp. moved one-third of its employees from Gilroy to Reno, Nev. “‘California is not a business-friendly state,’ said [CEO Michael] Whitehead. Though the decision was ‘hard because of the employee impact,’ the staff who made the move appreciate Nevada’s lack of income tax, he said.”

For the middle class, California’s state income tax is a confiscatory 9.6 percent. That’s often forgotten in discussions of the state’s staggering 13.3 percent state income tax on “those who can afford to share more,” as Democrats like to call jobs and business creators (a/k/a “the filthy rich”).

Nevada, here they come

WSJ:

“Nevada is one of a growing number of states stationing full-time business recruiters in California, as the nation’s economy recovers and the competition for jobs heats up. Economic-development bureaus seek to attract business and jobs from wherever they can, but California has become a particularly attractive target lately thanks to the prospect of rising taxes and new regulations that other states think could make companies there easier to lure away—an idea disputed by California officials….

“Now, states that have traditionally staffed external business-development offices only overseas are adding manpower in the Golden State. It isn’t the only place under siege—Virginia’s Fairfax County, for example, has also opened an office in Boston to lure biotech firms—but many are zeroing in on California, betting that new policies going into effect there will begin to push more businesses and entrepreneurs out….

“Companies rarely relocate purely at a recruiter’s suggestion. But states are hoping to capture the attention of Silicon Valley venture capitalists as well as California’s large number of entrepreneurs and CEOs, and to make sure they are on the shortlist for any expansions or relocations. Arizona opened its first two domestic out-of-state offices in October—one near Los Angeles, the other in Silicon Valley. Tennessee in November posted an ad for a new government position looking for California businesses to poach. Nevada hired its own representatives in California two years ago.”

When the next recession hits, and I believe it will be this year, companies will have even more incentive to leave Taxifornia for states with lower costs of government, and where folks actually like business, instead of hate it as here.

After all, California’s supermajority Democrats believe, businesses are just gross polluters that rip off employees and customers and funnel massive profits to the super-rich, who splurge on yachts and mansions and should have their wealth confiscated to spend it on the pensions of our brave and wonderful government workers.

 

 

Source URL: https://calwatchdog.com/2013/01/03/wsj-states-luring-biz-from-taxifornia/

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