I must have missed the Pierre press release on this one....
Forbes this month issued its ranking of the Best States for Business for 2014:
Rank | State | Business Costs Rank | Labor Supply Rank | Regulatory Environment Rank | Economic Climate Rank | Growth Prospects Rank | Quality of Life Rank | Population |
1 | Utah | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 2,923,000 |
2 | North Dakota | 9 | 9 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 733,200 |
3 | North Carolina | 4 | 7 | 2 | 24 | 9 | 31 | 9,901,400 |
4 | Virginia | 24 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 33 | 5 | 8,292,700 |
5 | Colorado | 35 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 5,307,800 |
6 | Texas | 13 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 26,654,300 |
7 | Nebraska | 8 | 22 | 9 | 2 | 46 | 14 | 1,873,500 |
8 | Washington | 20 | 6 | 30 | 17 | 6 | 29 | 7,002,500 |
9 | Minnesota | 33 | 18 | 22 | 7 | 23 | 2 | 5,439,200 |
10 | Oklahoma | 7 | 31 | 14 | 5 | 15 | 41 | 3,865,900 |
11 | Delaware | 2 | 8 | 26 | 31 | 27 | 36 | 930,000 |
12 | Iowa | 11 | 39 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 12 | 3,099,200 |
13 | Massachusetts | 49 | 3 | 33 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 6,719,000 |
14 | South Dakota | 1 | 16 | 31 | 10 | 45 | 30 | 848,500 |
15 | Indiana | 10 | 45 | 3 | 28 | 31 | 15 | 6,585,000 |
16 | Georgia | 27 | 21 | 4 | 38 | 13 | 38 | 10,019,900 |
17 | New York | 45 | 30 | 20 | 3 | 17 | 10 | 19,688,400 |
18 | Oregon | 12 | 12 | 39 | 32 | 8 | 35 | 3,946,100 |
19 | Florida | 38 | 10 | 15 | 36 | 7 | 32 | 19,708,200 |
20 | Maryland | 41 | 5 | 36 | 16 | 32 | 8 | 5,947,300 |
Four of six adjoining states outrank South Dakota, whose Republican leaders portray South Dakota as a business haven.
Forbes ranks South Dakota #1 for low business costs (including labor, energy, and taxes), compared to Minnesota, whose 33 in that category is its lowest ranking in Forbes's six metrics. Forbes says it weights business costs most heavily, but Minnesota turns the tables on South Dakota in four other categories, most notably quality of life, where South Dakota ranks 30th while Minnesota ranks #2.
Further showing that you get what you pay for is the split between South Dakota and Massachusetts. That den of East Coast liberal sin offers the second-highest business costs among the states, but it offers the top quality of life. Massachusetts also offers better prospects for growth, ranking 16th compared to South Dakota's 45th.
We were 17th on the Forbes list in 2010 and 2011. We jumped to 12th in 2012, then peaked at 11th in 2013. Minnesota jumped from 20th in 2012 to 8th in 2013. Minnesota beat South Dakota in 2010 and 2011.
That's just great, I can hear Daugaard now, dumping the minimum wage increase, cutting taxes to nothing on business, and paying for it with more education cuts because, well, we all know our teachers are so overpaid.
It would appear, based on the rest of SD's numbers in that chart, that Republicans "business friendly policy" is a complete failure. So why do people here keep voting for them, does everybody here own a business?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harlan-green/republicans-just-dont-get_b_6192522.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
It does not surprise me at all that South Dakota ranks 30th in the quality of life metric. Our people do not count. But if we keep them under educated and under appreciated they will not know better than to vote Republican. Who are the four states worse than us in the metric of growth prospects? Nebraska is on that list, but the others...
South Dakota's legislature/governor's idea of economic growth is to build mega dairies and CAFO's, mine uranium, and then store the waste that's the end result of that uranium mining.
Thank God Almighty the seven states without income taxes provide such a huge advantage to business investments. The Lord’s Chosen States who’ve kept the largest burden on those who can least afford it (and still pamper and preen for investments from The Lord’s Chosen One Percent) are:
• Texas – rated #6 on Forbes’ Best States for Business.
• Washington – rated #8 on Forbes’ Best States for Business.
• South Dakota – rated #14 on Forbes’ Best States for Business.
• Florida – rated #19 on Forbes’ Best States for Business.
• Wyoming – rated #27 on Forbes’ Best States for Business.
• Nevada – rated #34 on Forbes’ Best States for Business.
• Alaska – rated #38 on Forbes’ Best States for Business.
And that brings to mind this question, “which gutless Capitalist Republican in South Dakota’s Legislature is going to find the courage and give South Dakota the advantage our state needs to rise higher in Forbes’ Best States for Business by introducing the income tax?”
No heroes in the Republican Caucus? How about Governor DD? Where is your courage, man???
Better yet, why not just admit that you Republicans have been lying to the people of South Dakota for the last 40 years about the value of income taxes to sustainable economic growth?
Flat tax, Mr. 96 eye drops. Flat tax.
Starving out the entire education system seems to be the present route. I'd get behind a state flat tax if the money went toward state funding for pre-school to university levels.
I'm on board with your idea, Mr. 96, if and only if the money could go to good teachers and less the to slackards. When our smart teachers come up with a way to figure out how to hold themselves and their peers accountable and stop the socialization, more money will flow into their pockets.
Brother Grudzick - There may be a path forward in that department too, as long as the metric is enforced by people who are qualified to do so. Education in South Dakota has been an exercise in keeping afloat a severely leaky boat.
I'm for the income tax, Grud. It's about time those school teachers pay their fair share. They can then give themselves the raises they deserve. It's a win win. Truthfully we don't have to look far to see states doing a much better job. Mt, and Ne have similarities to work with.
96 Tears, Sarcasm is one of my favorite languages. I'm bilingual - English and Sarcasm. Perfectly fluent, though I'm clearly not alone in that.
If it's a flat tax, Mr. Les. The days of "tax just you to pay some special interest group more" really fires up the gall in a about 75% of the population and they will poop out bricks of vile if the teachers try that again.
Grudz, my theory is that you had a mean teacher in grade school who embarrassed you in front of your classmates when you were just a little shaver. The experience scarred your little psyche for the rest of your life. Now your assumption is that all teachers are nasty, evil people, unless they unquestionably prove otherwise to you.
Am I close?
You truly are a perceptive woman, Ms. Geelsdottir. One of your most attractive non-physical qualities. But that was only the beginning.
96, good breakdown of the absolute lack of correlation of income tax with business ranking!
Just saw an article that the happiest states in the US are those with an income tax but darned if i can find it this morning: Montana was #6 on the list.
Grudz, you are such a flatterer. And please don't stop.