Surprise, surprise! Pennsylvania is one of the more "business-friendly" U.S. states!

[Ohiogirl81]

I can think of at least a dozen factory sites in Erie alone that says otherwise.

Originally Posted by cwa1984

I wonder how much the bribe cost to get our state ranked so well.

LMAO.

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

I can think of at least a dozen factory sites in Erie alone that says otherwise.

Like the GE diesel locomotive factory, right?

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

LMAO.

Yeah, that's what I did when I saw Ohio sitting at #39.

[pman]

Pa. companies carry heaviest tax burden - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by pman

Pa. companies carry heaviest tax burden - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Well then, with such a wide discrepancy between studies, we should probably throw both of them away as worthless, and assume something halfway in between.

On the other hand, maybe Pennsylvania proves that talent matters more than tax structure. Sure, a good tax structure is a bonus, but I don't see a whole lot of businesses relocating their headquarters to Mississippi or New Mexico because of it.

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

Well then, with such a wide discrepancy between studies, we should probably throw both of them away as worthless, and assume something halfway in between.

On the other hand, maybe Pennsylvania proves that talent matters more than tax structure. Sure, a good tax structure is a bonus, but I don't see a whole lot of businesses relocating their headquarters to Mississippi or New Mexico because of it.

Yes, your first comment is probably true.

PA is not very business friendly from a tax standpoint. The 9.99% corporate tax rate is very high, and to this you have to add the capital stock tax (which is slowly being phased out and might actually be gone in 2014...holding breath...).

I'd agree that talent is important but many talented people in PA have jobs. It seems to me that the real problem is getting less-educated people all over PA working. There's no reason to locate a manufacturing facility or a warehouse in PA when you could do the same thing in another state for a significantly-reduced tax burden. Given this state's significant manufacturing history, and in fact our long-ago manufacturing prowess, we should be in the running for every new auto factory expansion project that gets mentioned, but we are not. Imagine how, to pick a random area, the Lock Haven region could benefit from an auto factory employing 1,000 people.

So while in suburban Philadelphia we benefit from pharmaceutical expansion, because this is where the talent for that is, there is little to no reason to expand businesses in many other parts of this state because of the potential tax burden.

[pman]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

Well then, with such a wide discrepancy between studies, we should probably throw both of them away as worthless, and assume something halfway in between.

On the other hand, maybe Pennsylvania proves that talent matters more than tax structure. Sure, a good tax structure is a bonus, but I don't see a whole lot of businesses relocating their headquarters to Mississippi or New Mexico because of it.

true, though PA isn't exactly a job growth monster, I suppose it really means both matter, but neither to the exclusion of the other. PA needs to lower its corp rate. the growth of non-profits has also helped wreak havoc on the prop tax system. the larger your non-profit land holdings are, the les is makes sense to rely on property taxes.

[cwa1984]

Originally Posted by BPP1999

There's no reason to locate a manufacturing facility or a warehouse in PA when you could do the same thing in another state for a significantly-reduced tax burden.

I agree with most of what you are saying but this here is wrong. Warehousing actually increased in our state quite a bit over the years. The reason for that is because of our geographic location in the United States and the fact Pennsylvania is one the states with the highest (if not the highest) commercial vehicle traffic. If you want to go to New England, New Jersey, New York, or from any of those areas to Ohio or anywhere else in the mid-west you need to go through Pennsylvania. I don't know how familiar you are with Carlisle PA but the area keeps on expanding with new warehouses going up constantly in the area.

So while in suburban Philadelphia we benefit from pharmaceutical expansion, because this is where the talent for that is, there is little to no reason to expand businesses in many other parts of this state because of the potential tax burden.

Warehousing has been expanding and will continue to do so for quite some time.