The News Tribune's Peter Callaghan posted a blog about the upcoming Fortune magazine insert promoting Washington as a good place to locate a business. HIs comments hit the nail on the head:
"But among the evidence that Washington state offers both beauty and brains is this: No Income Tax. The ad copy will be true when it runs but perhaps not by November if Initiative 1098 passes. That's the high-income income tax that will appear ont he general election ballot."
Callaghan was commenting on a Puget Sound Business Journal article by John Cook from Monday's edition.
The Choose Washington campaign launched by the state's Dept. of Commerce is well done.The tag line is on the mark "Innovation is in our nature." It sure beats "Say Wa!" Here is a preview of the insert which will appear in the September 6 edition of Fortune.
Rogers Weed, director of commerce, is to be commended on developing a great campaign. Hopefully, I-1098, establishing a punitive state income tax will fail and the legislature and state agencies will work together to reduce overlapping and competing regulations, streamline permitting, keep the incentives which create jobs and attract investments, reform workers compensation, lower unemployment insurance rates, find ways to provide health care and health insurance at reasonable rates, and transform our state budget as Gov. Gregoire's "transforming the state budget" group is charged to do.
Total costs of doing business and perception make a difference.....and the perception of the Choose Washington campaign is it is a good start. Let's make sure the costs part of the equation give it staying power.
Don C. Brunell, President (DonB@awb.org)
