Historically, Washington has been a hub for innovative, cutting-edge companies. Boeing, Starbucks and Amazon got their start here and blossomed into global brands. Microsoft moved to the state in its infancy and altered how businesses and households around the world function.
While such companies have drawn headlines and become identified with Washington, businesses that are not known outside of their neighborhood are equally important. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, some 650,000 small business in Washington account for more than 99 percent of the state’s companies and employ 1.4 million people. …
With that in mind, the latest survey from the Association of Washington Business deserves examination. … The largest concern, cited by 58 percent of employers, is overall tax burden, which the Legislature has seemed eager to increase in recent years. A capital gains tax has been aimed at extremely high earners; the Climate Commitment Act has proved costly for large polluting industries; and the business and occupation tax has been expanded. …
The label of “unfavorable to business” can be difficult to shake. Although reputations often are unfair, they influence decisions by prospective employers and prospective employees, and they can mark businesses as a target for poachers from other states.
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