Interstate Tax War: West Virginia Now Going After Virginia Jobs

Virginia may be, as their license plates proclaim, for lovers, but under the high heel of Governor Abigail Spanberger, it sure won't be for business. Gov. Spanberger has unleashed a cascade of anti-business, anti-growth policies, from tax hikes to regulations, and Virginia's business community isn't loving that.

Fortunately for Virginia business owners looking for an out, there is greener grass right next door, in West Virginia, where Governor Patrick Morrisey is launching a campaign to lure Virginia businesses to the Mountain State.

Virginia’s shift toward higher taxes and new regulations is triggering an interstate economic "brawl," as West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey moves to lure businesses and workers across the border.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has promoted an "affordability agenda," but a wave of proposed tax increases and regulatory changes from legislative Democrats has opened an opportunity for neighboring states to compete for businesses and residents.
Even though some of these proposals never made it to Spanberger's desk or claimed her signature, the political climate has prompted West Virginia officials to actively target Virginia’s workforce and employers, pitching lower taxes and fewer regulations as a competitive alternative.

This is how the Great Sorting works; it's not just people that are moving, it's entire businesses. And Governor Morrisey clearly sees an opportunity here.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Morrisey said he plans to take that pitch directly into Virginia communities, including Loudoun County, to draw businesses and workers into West Virginia.
"We're going to be spending some time in Loudoun County and all across Virginia on making the pitch and the comparison of the direction that West Virginia is moving in [and] the direction Virginia is going in," Morrisey told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the announcement of a new 275-acre commercial tax district he said will bring $200 million in economic investment to the three-county Eastern Panhandle region.

Now that's some chutzpah; the West Virginia governor going in right under Governor Spanberger's nose, as it were, to lure businesses away. And he may just succeed.

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Now it remains to be seen how successful Governor Morrisey will be in this particular campaign, but just take a look at how the Great Sorting is happening nation-wide, with even major enterprises like Chevron moving its corporate headquarters from San Ramon, California to Houston, Texas, or Oracle from California to Texas; Hewlett Packard fled California for Houston, Texas, Caterpillar left Illinois for Irving, Texas; and, of course, all of Elon Musk's various enterprises have left California for Texas.

Most of these businesses moved to more business-friendly climates, with lower taxes, lower regulatory burdens, and less expensive real estate. And, of course, Texas's Governor Abbott has welcomed them with open arms, a feat which now West Virginia's Governor Morrisey seeks to reproduce. And bear in mind, the trip from Loudon County to West Virginia is a lot shorter than moving from San Francisco to Dallas.

When will leftist state legislatures and governors learn? This happens every time a creature of the far left wins a major office, like a governor's chair. It happens every time a "progressive" nutbar majority takes control of a state legislature. At the earliest opportunity, they start slamming businesses, selling envy, trading on antipathy to anyone who has more than two dimes to rub together - and so the productive leave.

As my late grandfather was fond of observing: You can teach 'em, but you can't learn 'em.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.

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