Welcome Aboard the Massachusetts Business Cost Express!

By Steve Poftak
July 25th, 2007

A hearty welcome to the New England Public Policy Center at the Boston Fed. They’ve just released a memo detailing some of the high costs facing Massachusetts’ business (PDF, or link).

Their findings include:

• Massachusetts does not have right-to-work laws, which “[m]ost research has found…. [to] have a positive impact on employment and business formation”
• Based on Economy.com’s Cost of Business Index, “[a]ll New England states are ranked as having high business costs, with Massachusetts being particularly expensive.”
• Using a Forbes’ Regulatory Environment Index, “most New England states have relatively burdensome regulatory climates, although Massachusetts (29) and Vermont (35) are ranked toward the middle.”

Pioneer is pleased to have the New England Public Policy Center on board our continuing efforts to highlight the issue of business costs in Massachusetts. We held an event in October to mark the release of our paper on the issue — Measuring Up: The Cost of Doing Business in Massachusetts — which highlighted the challenges facing businesses in our state.

Thanks again to the NEPPC for their work on the issue.