Is your Business in a Tax Friendly State?

business (6)When you are a small business owner every penny counts. Every monetary decision you make affects the profitability of your business and the success of your company.  If you want to start a business or even thinking of relocating to a more business friendly state here are some options for you: South Dakota, Wyoming, Nevada, Texas, Florida, Montana, New Hampshire, Washington and Utah have no corporate taxes, individual taxes and/or sales tax.  For us in Ohio, the state is listed among one of the least tax friendly for businesses.

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Big picture important in Kasich tax debate

As Ohio continues economic development efforts, a new study on John Kasich’s latest tax plan merits a close look.

In the economic development arms race among states, perception matters.

Right now, Texas is winning that battle. Toyota’s decision in April to relocate its North American headquarters to Plano and consolidate other operations – which will take roughly 1,600 jobs out of Erlanger – is only the most recent example.

Chevron and Apple also are putting more than 5,000 jobs in Texas, which has no personal or corporate income taxes. Goldman Sachs just hosted its annual meeting in Irving, where it employs 650 employees, and invited Texas Gov. Rick Perry to speak.

With that as a backdrop, a new study by Matrix Global Advisors on Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s latest tax plan merits a look – even as the legislature considers fast-tracking income tax cuts implemented in 2013. Kasich wants to reduce individual income tax rates by 8.5 percent over the next three years, expand Ohio’s earned income tax credit, and increase the personal exemption for low- and middle-income households.


Small business in mountain states leads nation for job gains, says IHS-Paychex report

For a third straight month, the Rocky Mountain states in May topped the nation for small-business job growth over the previous year, according to a monthly report from Colorado’s IHS Inc. and Paychex Inc.

Small-business jobs in the mountain states grew by 1.41 percent in May from a year earlier, following April’s 1.75 percent year-over-year increase and March’s 1.62 percent gain, according to the latest Paychex-IHS Small Business Jobs Index, issued Tuesday.

The region includes Colorado as well as Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

The mountain region’s growth far outstripped the “East North Central” states (Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio), which came in at No. 2 with 0.59 percent small-business job growth, the report said.

On the other hand, the “Middle Atlantic” states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania saw small-business jobs drop 0.69 percent over the one-year period, the greatest decline of any U.S. region.


Seattle raises minimum wage; will others follow?

Seattle activists celebrated a successful campaign to gradually increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 by calling for a national movement to close the income and opportunity gaps between rich and poor.

The Seattle City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday that would give the city the highest minimum wage in the nation.

Socialist City Council Member Kshama Sawant, who after the council meeting called on the people of America to elect more independent and socialist candidates, said the push for a higher minimum wage is spreading across the nation.

“Seattle may be a hippie city. We may wear socks with our sandals,” but it’s also a city where different progressive groups can work together to bring about change, Sawant said.

The minimum wage issue has dominated politics in the liberal municipality for months, and a boisterous crowd of mostly labor activists packed the council chambers for the vote. They held signs that said “15 Now,” chanted, cheered and occasionally jeered when amendments they favored were voted down.