In a recent letter, Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh repeated the oft-quoted Republican talking point that thousands of companies and people are leaving Maryland because of onerous taxes and regulations ("State greeting is more than just words," Feb. 7).
Repeating those words doesn't make them true, however. I have yet to see any solid evidence supporting his contention.
Surely the Bush recession reduced the number of millionaires and caused some businesses to shut their doors. The foolish sequestration passed by a hapless Congress further aggravated the situation.
But blaming those trends on Maryland's taxation policy seems absurd. As a retired business executive, it is obvious to me that corporate location decisions have always been based on several key factors — the location and strength of the market, the skills of the available labor force, the quality of local educational institutions and the quality of life.
Taxes and regulations play only a small role in deciding where to locate a business. Maryland fares extremely well considering these key factors, and that no doubt has contributed to the fact that it ranks so high among all states in per-family income.
It is time for politicians to stop distorting the facts and tearing down Maryland's virtues.
Jack Kinstlinger, Towson