CEOs Rank States for Pro-Business Environment - Best/Worst States For Business

[Dover]

And while you're at it, check out the "Chief Executive" news blog this appeared in (and be sure to check out the
nifty Porsche advertisements!)



Best/Worst States for Business

More than 500 CEOs considered a wide range of criteria, from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment, in our annual ranking of the best states for business. The charts and articles in this special report show how each state fares on the factors most essential for a business-friendly environment—as well as what states are doing to attract and retain companies in the increasingly competitive battle to win site selection.

While the Lone Star State may not be perfect—many leaders would like to see improvements in its education system—it is Periclean Athens compared to California in the eyes of the 550 CEOs surveyed for Chief Executive‘s seventh annual report on the best and worst states in which to do business. It’s the seventh time in seven years running that Texas has led the states, and the seventh year California—to no one’s great surprise—ranked as worst state.

But there has been some jockeying within the ranks. The Golden State was closely followed in the hall of shame by New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Michigan, with Illinois elbowing its way past New Jersey this year for the dubious distinction of third worst. Meanwhile, among the best states, Indiana jumped to sixth place from 16th in 2010, giving Hoosiers the third-biggest advance in the rankings in a single year.

..//..

“Do not overtax business,” offered one CEO. “Make sure your tax scheme does not drive business to another state. Have a regulatory environment and regulators that encourage good business—not one that punishes businesses for minor infractions. Good employment laws help too. Let companies decide what benefits and terms will attract and keep the quality of employee they need. Rules that make it hard, if not impossible, to separate from a non-productive employee make companies fearful to hire or locate in a state.”

cont'd

http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst-states-for-business

[DocMac]

1. Where is the list of countries they prefer?

I would bet the USA isn't number 1.

[KansDem]

2. Here is the breakdown of the so-called "Right to Work" states with states that permit unions

Green = "Right to work"
Blue = Unions

[font color=”red”]1 Texas
2 North Carolina
3 Florida
4 Tennessee
5 Georgia[font color=”blue”]
6 Indiana[font color=”red”]
7 Virginia
8 South Carolina
9 Utah
10 Nevada
11 Oklahoma[font color=”blue”]
12 Colorado[font color=”red”]
13 Arizona
14 Wyoming
15 South Dakota[font color=”blue”]
16 Delaware
17 Kentucky
18 New Hampshire[font color=”red”]
19 Idaho
20 Nebraska
21 North Dakota
22 Iowa[font color=”blue”]
23 Missouri
24 Wisconsin[font color=”red”]
25 Kansas
26 Alabama
27 Louisiana[font color=”blue”]
28 Montana
29 Minnesota[font color=”red”]
30 Arkansas[font color=”blue”]
31 Alaska
32 New Mexico
33 Oregon
34 Washington
35 Rhode Island
36 Maine
37 Maryland[font color=”red”]
38 Mississippi[font color=”blue”]
39 Pennsylvania
40 Vermont
41 Ohio
42 West Virginia
43 Hawaii
44 Connecticut
45 Massachusetts
46 Michigan
47 New Jersey
48 Illinois
49 New York
50 California

[font color="black"]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-to-work_law

[Cigar11]

3. If you allow a Business to do “anything” it wants;

that would constitute a “great” place to do business!

You don’t have to be a MBA to understand that.

[okieinpain]

4. funny thing to me is if texas is number one, why do they have a 27 billion shortfall.

shouldn't they be rolling in the dough.

[DocMac]

5. Texans don't pay state taxes.

The wages don't support much spending either.

I'm wondering if those corporations even pay any money to the state.

[Dover]

6. ...good question! n/t

[JDPriestly]

7. Southern California has great weather.

That makes it a prized place to live -- and pushes up the costs of housing which pushes up the cost of other things. Wages have to be higher here because people want to live her.

Personally, I don't want to see a lot of industrial businesses in our area. That may sound odd, but we have urban sprawl across the entirety of Southern California. There are few areas without housing or business development.

To top it all of, we have such a severe water shortage in Los Angeles that we are on water rationing when it comes to our yards.

If our labor laws discourage vulture employers from situating themselves here, so be it.

Our ports are situated so auspiciously for import and export to the Far East that we don't need to be too business friendly. I assure you the very wealthy people who live in mansions overlooking the Pacific Ocean will not leave soon.

I've lived on the Gulf of Mexico. The humidity in the summer, the hurricanes, the rain and the storms there make life miserable on that side of the country. And north of here, the winters take a toll. It's no wonder other states have to sell their laborers short to attract business. Who would want to live anywhere else if they could live in California, especially Southern California?

Redwood forests, skiing in the mountains, star-watching in the deserts, swimming in the Pacific, fishing, boating, running -- almost every day if you want, Hollywood, liberals in charge. The best of everything -- we've got it.

I'm sticking out my tongue at the exploiters in the US business community as I write this. Who really prefers a big fat number on the bottom line to living in a beautiful place?

Life is short. Live it where life is beautiful. That's my advice.

Now if we could just do something about our water shortage . . . .