The "tax hell" dogmatists (Read: Mary Lazich, for instance) would have you believe that a state or community's "tax ranking" (i.e. how high they tax rate is in comparison to other states, according to the math of some self-styled "Foundation") is the single most important factor in attracting business.
Wrong.
Turns out some of that the other stuff that "conservatives" have been trying to strangle - including that nasty, expensive, wasteful EDUCATION component -is a leading beacon to new business:
When an IBM delegation came to town in October, the development group provided detailed information about Dubuque. That included résumés of 600 prospective employees with information technology skills.
"I think that blew their mind," said Blouin, an ex-congressman and former state economic development official. "I think they were skeptical about the work force availability. So, we chose to make that a strength."
IBM managers made two more visits to Dubuque. They were especially impressed by their conversations with officials from the area colleges and vocational schools, said company spokeswoman Jenna Gable.
The other finalists considered by the company were all midsize communities that house major universities: Greenville, S.C., home of Clemson University; Morgantown, W.Va. (West Virginia University); Bloomington, Ind. (Indiana University); Columbia, Mo. (University of Missouri); and Laramie, Wyo. (University of Wyoming).
Dubuque is home to three small colleges - Clarke College, Loras College and University of Dubuque - with a combined enrollment of just more than 4,000 students.
But the larger Dubuque region includes technical and community colleges, and University of Wisconsin-Platteville. UW-Platteville Chancellor David Markee and Southwest Wisconsin Technical College President Karen Knox were among the college officials who lobbied IBM.
And, while Dubuque certainly did not shy away from offering a healthy package of incentives, it did not have to strangle its entire tax structure (and the infrastructure and programs those taxes pay for) in order to attract business:
Iowa not exactly a tax haven
When IBM chose Dubuque for its service center, some observers assumed Iowa's tax structure was a factor. A company statement mentioned Dubuque's competitive business environment, and the project is getting a $53 million financial incentives package. But the latest state business tax climate index, created by the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based group that supports lower taxes, ranks Iowa as 44th out of the 50 states. Wisconsin ranks 38th, according to the annual foundation study. The other states that were finalists for the IBM project were Wyoming, which ranked first; Indiana, 14th; Missouri, 16th; South Carolina, 25th; and West Virginia, 36th.
In landing IBM center, Dubuque offers lessons for Milwaukee - JSOnline:
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