Posted on 10/25/2010 3:34:00 PM PDT by jazusamo
Just days before Washington state voters decide whether to impose a first-ever state tax on six-figure incomes, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has jumped into the middle of the fray.
With a week to go before the Washington ballot initiative, Perry, a Republican, has taken an unusually aggressive swipe at Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat. Perry sent letters Friday to 90 leading businesses in Washington – including Amazon, Microsoft and Starbucks – inviting them to relocate to Texas, which also has no income tax.
"If Washington doesn't want your business, Texas does,” said Perry. “Texas has no personal income tax and no interest in getting one."
Most Washington business leaders are lined up against the proposal, which would impose a 5 percent tax on individuals earning $200,000 or more a year and a 9% tax on those making more than $500,000.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the state’s most prominent billionaire, has divided loyalties: his company is fighting the tax proposal on behalf of its many highly-paid workers, but the ballot initiative was sponsored by Gates father, a retired lawyer who argues that Washington needs the money to fund education. The software mogul himself has not taken a position on the tax, which stands to cost him tens of millions of dollars a year.
The latest poll says the anticipated vote on the income tax initiative is too close to call.
A Perry spokesman denied that the governor was meddling to defeat the Washington initiative, but conceded that the timing – a week before the vote – was no coincidence.
“It seemed like the right time to do it, as businesses are focused on the election and on the possibility of paying higher taxes,” said Ray Sullivan.
Washington and Texas are among seven states that impose no income tax, contributing to the fact that both are highly rated as places to conduct business.
It is common for governors to recruit individual companies to relocate but unusual to make a blanket indictment of the business climate in another state. It is also unusual for governors to try to influence the outcome of ballot initiatives in another state.
Gregoire, who supports the tax proposal, shrugged off Perry’s missives.
“We're serious about keeping businesses here and attracting new ones to the state,” she said in a written statement issue by her office. “We've consistently ranked in the top five in the Forbes list of best states to do business—ahead of Texas."
Gregoire spokesman Cory Curtis said the governor was not offended by Perry’s letters, but would not comment on whether the governor thought that Perry was trying to influence the vote. Asked what kind of relationship the conservative Perry and the liberal Gregoire have, Curtis said, “I don’t think they have any relationship.”
In Forbes’ latest rankings, Washington placed fifth among states with a positive business climate, while Texas ranked seventh. Washington ranked 28th for the lowest business costs, and Texas was slightly better – 26th. Surprisingly, Washington bested Texas for imposing a lighter regulatory burden on business, ranking 5th while Texas ranked 17th.
“We think that Washington will continue to be a better place [than Texas] to do business, whether or not the income tax initiative passes,” said Curtis.
Perry’s spokesman said that Texas was the top-ranked state by business cable network CNBC and CEO magazine, and in most rankings, rated higher than Washington.
Gregoire, like most Washington state politicians, has opposed the imposition of a state income tax, and never pushed it as governor. She has endorsed the ballot initiative, but vowed to veto any effort by the legislature to extend the tax to other taxpayers.
Ping!
Their is another story today that the State of Texas is going after Amazon.com for 250 million in back sales tax. No thanks Texas.
Patty Murray........where are you?
There still must by a lot of cash in that Texas Enterprise Fund.
The Texas GOP is filled with open-borders RINOs.
OUCH...Perry’s comments will leave a mark.
Bump!
Send that link to Gregoire, she’ll go ballistic. LOL!
Nice kick to the commies *** sack Perry!
LLS
Love that song!
Describes Texas perfectly.
“Warm winds warming up blue skies and
a road that goes forever”
Texas is already stealing California Companies
Texas is not stealing anything. Companies are glad to get the hell out of thare. It will really be bad if Moonbeam and Boxer are elected.
Yes because Amazon has a distribution plant in Texas and is subject to the States sales Tax. Texas has every right to collect the tax.
Hey, Perry. Obama’s tax commission is after you. They want to redistribute wealth from RED to BLUE states. Any state stupid enough to keep spending under control will be punished. Even Bushies were represented.
Texas may not have an income tax but they sure make up for it in property tax. Gotta pay those taxes to support all those illegals, the garbage can police and the homosexual outreach office in Fort Worth.
If you North West folks come to Texas, please leave your Democrat politics behind. We don’t want you if you come to Texas to change us.
“’We’re serious about keeping businesses here and attracting new ones to the state,’ she said in a written statement issue by her office. ‘We’ve consistently ranked in the top five in the Forbes list of best states to do business?ahead of Texas.’”
Um, Gregoire, you leftard, one of the reasons for that is NO INCOME TAX. If/when the leftdolts who have taken over Washington State (many of whom fled CA and then proceeded to vote for the same type of leftscum politicians who ruined CA - I know several) institute this and inevitably other income taxes, you won’t rank near Texas any more. D’uh.
Believe it or not there’s quite a few here in WA that are not flaming lib leftists. :-)
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