After decades of control by the ultraliberal DFL and a GOP that was merely center-left until probably fifteen years ago, Minnesota has had business and corporate tax rates that rivalled some of the nation’s worst tax hellholes – New York, California, New Jersey.
Liberals inevitably respond “well, look at all the companies that have their headquarters here!”. And it’s true – Minnesota has more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any other state in the union. And if you were the CEO of, say, Best Buy or Ecolab or 3M, I’d bet you’d rather live in Minneapolis than, say, Mississippi.
But a company is more than just CEOs.
The good news; 3M, based in Saint Paul, is creating new jobs!
3M today announced the expansion of its manufacturing facility for its 3M Ultra Barrier Solar Film. As a key component supplier to the solar industry, this expansion will support the growing demand for high efficiency flexible PV modules.
And where are those jobs?
The majority of the facility expansion, located in Columbia, Missouri, is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
Minnesota’s corporations are not creating manufacturing or distribution jobs in Minnesota. Even their research and engineering work is being farmed out to out-of-state or offshore companies at an accelerating rate.
You can thank the DFL (and the old, pre-Pawlenty-era GOP that the DFL’s sock puppets are always babbling about) for this.
It’s time to lower business tax rates in Minnesota, and for the government programs that depend on them to suck it up and count on the revenues rising when Minnesotans actually start going back to work.
And that pretty much inevitably means voting for Emmer, and your local GOP candidate for the Legislature, next Tuesday.
Mitch, it’s too simplistic to attribute this to taxes and a poor business climate. The truth is, Columbia, MO is home to the University of Missouri, and the Tigers knocked off #1 ranked Oklahoma. The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers have lost to two Division II schools this year and are 0-for-the Big 10 this season. Companies like being associated with winners,and economics that’s just a bonus. Though it will be interested to see what turns around first in Minnesota – the politics or the U of M football program. We’ll get a big indicator in November – and it has nothing to do with the Gopher’s schedule.
That’s silly. Everyone knows major corporations base location decisions on college basketball programs, not football.
Major corporations base location decisions on (1) what’s it cost to be there and (2) what do we get for being there?
In Mississippi, if you get up early, you can still get in a round of golf before the heat and humidity become too miserable, even in August. In Minnesota, getting up early on a February morning doesn’t help.
If you’re trying to market a location with the climate of Siberia, you need to offer something else to compensate. Like lower taxes, maybe.
That’s silly. Everyone knows major corporations base location decisions on college basketball programs, not football.
That doesn’t help Minnesota much, either.
I hear Normandale CC has a hell of a program.
has anyone noticed the amount of ads South Dakotas chamber of commerce has been running lately on the radio. I think I’ve heard at least one every day for the last month. They are drooling at the prospect of us electing Senator Fail.