Cost of Doing Business
Reducing Costs of Doing Business, Overly Burdensome Regulations, & Restrictions on Innovation Commerce
Massachusetts has one of the strongest growth and innovation climates in the country and unrivaled talent in its workforce. But we are nonetheless one of the least competitive states in terms of the cost of doing business.
According to our 50-State Competitiveness Index, which measures states’ business environments, accounting for factors like unemployment insurance, health care costs, utility costs, and personnel costs, Massachusetts ranks at the bottom of all 50 states in cost of doing business. Other national indices rank the Commonwealth similarly. CNBC’s most recent Top States for Doing Business index, for instance, ranks Massachusetts 49 out of all 50 states for cost of doing business.
Cost Competitiveness
The Council seeks to address the public policy drivers of high business costs in Massachusetts while supporting policies that enable innovation economy employers to operate and recruit talent in the Commonwealth. We oppose counterproductive and misguided policy through advocacy that includes:
Advancing practical proposals to fix the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, advocating for structural reforms to fighting proposals that impose additional costs and administrative burdens on employers
Opposing healthcare reforms that place additional burden on employers or propose one-size-fits-all solutions that risk compromising high health service quality
Supporting policies that allow Massachusetts consumers to access web- and mobile-enabled services and technology platforms without overly burdensome regulations on operators
Amplifying awareness of the unintended consequences of new employer regulations that impose unnecessary costs without material benefits, such as disclosure mandates that impact Massachusetts’ competitiveness with other states
Monitoring and opposing taxes on digital products and services that add to the cost of doing business, including digital advertising tax proposals
Measuring & Evaluating Massachusetts' Competitive Position
A part of MATTERS™, the Council’s 50-State Competitiveness Dashboard measures and evaluates Massachusetts’ current competitive position on a range of indicators to capture key characteristics related to economic competitiveness and the business environment. These indicators are grouped into six composite indices to enable comparison of Massachusetts’ innovation economy to other states.