The Governor’s advisory council to boost manufacturing has come up with five areas for the Governor and General Assembly to work on to strengthen the Keystone state’s manufacturing sector. These areas cover opening up new markets both domestically and abroad as well as in energy fields, workforce education, innovation, providing access to capital, and making government work better for manufacturers. The panel also recommended tax reform which has been an Achilles heel for the state’s manufacturing base for years.
The advisory council’s recommendations coincide with the findings of CNBC’s “Top States for Business” 2012 ranking, where Pennsylvania finished 30th overall, giving the Commonwealth its poorest rankings in workforce (48th) and cost of doing business (41st). It also fared poorly in business friendliness (30th), another area where the Governor and Legislature could make some improvements.
As we have noted many times in the past, the Commonwealth needs to make serious changes to improve the business climate. These changes should include enacting Right to Work legislation and eliminating the right of transit workers and teachers to strike. They need to continue to lower the corporate tax rate and eliminate any onerous regulations that hamper economic growth such as prevailing wage requirements. These changes require great political strength and will. Whether or not the Governor or Legislature has enough of either remains to be seen.
