In an article published Tuesday, Texas governor Greg Abbott reacted to his state taking first place in CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business scorecard.
“To keep Texas the best state to build a business big or small, I will continue to implement a blueprint for a new era of economic expansion,” the governor said.
“Innovation and self-reliance are deeply rooted in the Lone Star State, and when freed from the stranglehold of over taxation and overregulation, new ideas flourish. By limiting senseless government restrictions, the opportunity to succeed in business is as limitless as the land itself.”
During an interview on January 19, Abbott told viewers, “Every CEO across the country when they move to the state of Texas I ask them the same thing, why are you coming to Texas? The first words out of their mouth is the same thing, and that is because you have the best workforce in America.”
In addition to being ranked first on the scorecard and recent business success all over the state, online retail giant Amazon is currently in the process of opening a third distribution center in Dallas County.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the space being built to house the distribution center will be “one of the largest warehouse development pipelines in the country.”
“The Texas economy is the fastest-growing in the nation,” Abbott said. “More Texans are working than ever before as the Lone Star State leads in private-sector job creation — over the month, over the year and over the past 10 years. And jobs in Texas are now on pace for the strongest growth in four years. This is not accidental.”
Abbott credits the state’s success to the fact that they have managed to cut taxes and regulations, and because the majority of the population born on Texas soil tend to remain there.
“Over the past four years in my first term as governor, we’ve spurred the Texas economy by cutting taxes and regulations, by investing in our roads and infrastructure and by focusing on developing a world-class workforce,” he said.
“It’s no surprise then that Texas is also growing faster than the nation. More than half of our population growth is from newly born Texans. And Texas is by far the ‘stickiest’ state: More than 8 in 10 of those born in Texas stay in Texas.”
The governor also attributed the current positive economic growth to the ability of the Texas people to invest in themselves and build on their business aspirations.
“When given the freedom to aspire, Texans risk their own capital and invest in themselves and others by opening businesses large and small. And success is contagious. New business formation in Texas is at a five-year high. Start-ups are growing here right alongside Fortune 500 companies and more than 2.6 million small businesses.”
“It’s no surprise that Texas is ranked by CEOs as the best state for doing business, now for the 14th year in a row. As one Texas entrepreneur puts it: ‘If you like big ideas… build your business in Texas,’” he added.
Abbott concluded by promising to remain “focused on the formula for success: reforming taxes, removing regulatory barriers, encouraging participation in the sharing economy, improving our educational system and securing Texans’ freedom — because liberty is the root of prosperity.”