Texas Leads the Way: Business Leaders Once Again Rate Texas the Best State for Business

The following was sent in from The Republican Party of Texas:

The Lone Star State stands alone as America’s best state in which to do business. That’s how more than 600 CEOs across America rate Texas. Chief Executive Magazine polled a total of 651 corporate CEOs, who, for the fifth year in a row, gave Texas top honors for the state’s openness to business, our reasonable regulatory environment, the level of taxation, quality of our workforce and living environment.

“Texas’ unrivaled success over the past several years is no accident,” said Republican Party of Texas Chairman Cathie Adams. “Texans are can-do people who maximize our freedoms to pursue the American dream. And conservative governance, led by Gov. Rick Perry and our Republican statewide officeholders and legislature, is our secret to empowering Texans. Under Republican leadership, Texas keeps government out of the way by keeping our government small, our regulatory system predictable, our reformed tort system fair, and our tax burden on families and businesses among the lowest in the nation. This all translates into one thing Texans need: Jobs.”

Added Republican Party spokesman Bryan Preston: “When you look at the Chief Executive list, after you see Texas on top again, it’s hard not to notice who’s at the bottom. The states where the entrenched Democrat left has grown government the most are also the states that are the least friendly to business. And they all happen to have the highest unemployment rates, too. It’s clear that in those states, Democrat leaders care more about a whole bunch of other issues than about fostering free enterprise. Big government kills jobs, period.”

The Top Ten states for business, according to the CEO poll, are Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Nevada, Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Utah and South Carolina. The worst five states are, from the bottom, California, New York, Michigan, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

According to Chief Executive’s article accompanying the poll:

Texas, the second-most populous state and the world’s 12th largest economy, is where 70 percent of all new U.S. jobs have been created since 2008. Unsurprisingly, it scores high in all the areas CEOs value most. “You feel like state government understands the value of business and industry to create jobs and growth,” observed one CEO. Its tax credits and incentives to business choosing to locate or expand are among the most aggressive. The Texas Enterprise Fund is by far the largest deal-closing fund of any state, with grants totaling $377 million disbursed in 2008.

Democratic candidate for governor, liberal trial lawyer Bill White, has repeatedly attacked and belittled the Texas Enterprise Fund.

Chief Executive polls CEOs on how they rank state business climates every year. The 2010 list may be found here.