10 Worst States for Business 2012: Slideshow

“Hawaii is over-regulated and over-taxed.”

“Oregon, is a great place to start a business, but all successful businesses move out when the founder leaves. And so does he. The tax structure drives all movable wealth out of the state.”

“Oregon, where my business is located, makes it nearly impossible to grow a business because of the tax laws here. We have a 9% state personal income tax that drives good people from the state. Washington, our neighbor, has no income tax and forces high-income quality people to move out of our state and contribute to the neighbor state. With no sales tax in Oregon, we do not capture any tourist income or other non-resident income. Our economy is on the backs of the residents and, in a state with a relatively small population, it is hard on the residents to maintain the infrastructure needed to grow businesses.”

“We are moving our headquarters from Oregon to Texas. We looked at all of the other surrounding states to Oregon and found that in order to get pro business environment, quality workforce and great living environment we needed to move into the southern US.”

“Oregon has taken the approach during the recession that since business tax revenues and personal tax revenues are down, it is not their job to help ease the burden and create easier competitive environment, but instead to increase taxes and regulatory fees to keep government in place. That attitude has crushed many businesses in Oregon and caused much of our customer base to leave the state.”

“Poor tax structure in California, Illinois, Massachusetts,Ohio, and Pennsylvania. None of these states are business friendly. Government is bloated with excessive cost and resulting high taxes in these states.”

“It’s not just the regulations and taxes – it’s also how the government treats businesses. Probably two additional scales – one for competence and one for friend/foe. I’d have to give my own state, Pennsylvania, low marks in these areas.”

“Connecticut continues its rapid decline and it’s getting ugly.”

“Connecticut could be the business-friendly refuge of NYC and New England, but instead taxes and regulates like the crown of Old England.”

“California and Connecticut have state governments that are simply too big, too intrusive and too anti-business.”

“Connecticut has continued to raise taxes and implement additional regulations the opposite of what is required to stimulate growth. Lowered bond rating raises longer term risk of doing business in the state.”

“New Jersey has completely turned around its regulatory environment for the automobile insurance market for the better over the past seven years.This sustained improvement has promoted a highly competitive and efficient market that is benefiting consumers.”

“NJ makes it very difficult to do business due to all the taxes, regulations and hoops you have to jump through. We’re building a large building and had to pay a $20,000 fee just to be able to connect to city water. This was not a plumbing fee or permit, this was just a paperwork fee. Had to pay an $800 fee to move our own dirt from one spot, to another spot and then back to the original spot. This is what makes NJ so hard to do business.”

“NY, NJ – vibrant work environment.”

“I am not sure NJ wants to do business.”

“Removing barriers (taxes/regulation/premits/process/red tape) make States more attractive. This is a wake-up call to States like NY, NJ and CT who can no longer rely on their prximity to NYC as a reason a company must do business there. Today, you don’t have to live near the Big Apple to do business just as efficiently.”

“When unions rule the state, we stay away. When politicians see business as a big honey-pot to hit whenever they want money, we stay away. When politicians run to regulations as a way to solve the problems of the world, we stay away. We will go to serve a market, but couch our services in such a way that we limit our corporate and personnel exposure…i.e. California NJ and NY are too big to avoid. However, we need not live there to provide services. We find a small partner and become a major part of their revenue. We can get the services we need with an arms length relationship. Every business seeks to fix its costs and add incremental revenue.”

“Michigan is not business friendly.”

“Michigan… ridiculous amount of red tape to start a business. Getting licensed as a builder. process, training, testing is so rigorous and time consuming its ridiculous. Plus the penalties for not following the rules are stricter than drug dealer conviction.”

“Poor governorship in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and others, results in negative international press attention, a contentious environment, hostile unions, ineffective work force training, and marginal support services.”

“The new Republican governor in Michigan has really turned the state around. In his first year in office there has been major business tax reform and a good start on the reduction of regulatory red tape. A state to watch in the coming years for a significant turnaround in business climate.”

“Michigan is finally getting a more business friendly tax environment. They have a good well trained/educated work force, housing prices are reasonable, and no charge for the plain midwestern charm.”

“California, Massachusetts and Vermont have enacted anti-business policies that are detrimental, especially to the medical device industry.”

“Poor tax structure in California, Illinois, Massachusetts,Ohio, and Pennsylvania. None of these states are business friendly. Government is bloated with excessive cost and resulting high taxes in these states.”

“Taxes and regulations in California and Massachusetts are becoming intolerable.”

“California and Illinois taxes and regulation are just plain silly. They actively work to drive companies out of their state.”

“California is going in the wrong direction if that’s even possible. Illinois is no longer a good place to conduct business due to taxes, labor inflexibility and social ills.”

“Moved all jobs out of IL to WI becasue of taxes, anti business attitude and weak worker ethics and poor educational level. High school graduates cannot read, write or count. Complete failure of the public education system in Illinois and terrible political environment.”

“Illinois is a great state but the democrats have ruined the state fiscally and unless they are either elected out or make major changes to the unions problems, corruption and graft, I will move our company out of Illinois permanently.”

“Illinois is a mess! Worst state by far to do business in.”

“Illinois is in a race to the bottom.”

“Illinois state & county government is also corrupt.”

“Illinois sucks the life out of business.”

“Illinois, California and Texas not only have extremely high tax burdens but they are going higher.”

“Illinois’s workers’ compensation laws and insurance costs are anti-business and very expensive.”

“It is just a matter of time before Illinois declares bankruptcy!”

“California and New York are a basket case… only the life style saves California.”

“California,New York and Connecticut heavy on taxation and regulatory.”

“New York is moving in the right direction. I would expect them to move up in coming years. Texas, North and South Carolina are in a class by themselves.”

“Recently moved from New York state to Tennessee. Differences in ambience/climate/cost of living/attitude of government towards business are outstanding!”

“What are California and New York thinking? I used to do a lot of business in New York now I completely avoid it if possible.”

“States that treat business as a cash cow to be milked are to be avoided. California is the worst with New York and Illinois a close second. They all make the problem worse by giving employees ridiculous rights.”

“California and Connecticut are full of impenetrable regulations and generally hostile to business.”

“California has a great draw from a weather & location view point, but the state is so business unfriendly.”

“California is a complete mess.”

“California is a hopeless disaster.”

“California, New York and Michigan all continue to lose population, due to the less than favorable business climate. It’s no coincidence that all three states have bloated governments, are union-controlled and run significant annual budget deficits… who knew?”

“California and Connecticut have state governments that are simply too big, too intrusive and too anti-business.”

“California and Michigan are predatory in their approach to business.”

“California, New York and Illinois are all anti-business.”

“California and Illinois taxes and regulation are just plain silly. They actively work to drive companies out of their state.”

“California and Massachusetts in league of their own for anti-business regulatory environment.”

“California and New York are a basket case… only the life style saves California.”

“California continues to head in the wrong direction as its tax policies will drive more businesses and people to relocate in other states. State politicians feel business and commerce are “necessary evils” that provide the funds to enable pursuit of their misguided agendas.”

“California government is difficult to work with and very bureaucratic. Taxes and regulation are high and unruly.”

“California has driven away business with bad rules and a refusal to acknowledge its problems. We should let it become its own country. The legislature is horrible.”

“California is a mess. Virginia is tops for governance and attractiveness to business. Colorado is great for living and governance. Only problem is not on a coast.”

“California is begging for businesses to leave its state.”

“California is going in the wrong direction if that’s even possible.”

“California is out of control. They have too much government who have nothing better to do than to harass businesses in the state. They need to cut the size of their regulatory bodies in half.”

“California is the interface with China, where all our money is these days.”

“California is the only state in which I have direct experience in operating a business. Simply stated, California is not employer friendly, does not encourage or incent businesses to grow and has far more regulations that anywhere else!”

“California is the worst! They are doing everything possible to drive a business out of their state. If the environment in CA was not so good, they would have lost half of their population.”

“California makes it truly difficult to operate a business, but especially a mid-size organization.”

“California regulations, taxes and costs will leave only tech, life sciences and entertainment as viable. If you aren’t an elitist no room here for the middle or working classes.”

“California should become set aside and not included in commerce with the rest of country. They have become impossible to deal with and proposed regulations will further distance them from rest of country.”

“California should secede from the union – it is like doing business in a foreign country, it has its own exchange rate, regulation is crazy.”

“California sucks!!!!”

“California treats business owners like criminals. CA has different overtime policies for it’s own employees vs. private sector.”

“California, Massachusetts and Vermont have enacted anti-business policies that are detrimental, especially to the medical device industry.”

“California, New York and Connecticut heavy on taxation and regulatory.”

“California…outlook is for an even worse business and tax climate under Governor Brown.”

“California’s regulation and specifically labor regulation is a job killer. We will be moving our business out of CA and the State will lose 100’s of jobs simply due to the poor regulatory environment.”

“California’s taxes and ongoing changes for regulations are devastating. One never knows from even day to day what new intpretation of an existing regulation or new regulation will befall you and your small business. Every single state or federal program payor source for healthcare has tried to stop paying for programs in the last year. If we dealt with the real issue of state and federal government entitlement pension plans, we would stop raping all current programs that support our citizens. We also need to deal with the benefits issue for all of the illegal immigrants and spread that cost over all of the states to eliminate them, as another reason for California’s budget woes is the disproportionate share of that cost we carry.”

“California is the most difficult state to deal with on all fronts.”