Spring 2004 Keystone Business Climate Survey
Survey Supplemental

Responses to: "Generally speaking, what do you think is the single most important problem/issue facing Pennsylvania today?"

1. Taxes too high!

2. Economy

3. I think that outsourcing has become the biggest economic problem of this country. I also think that polictically our civil liberties are being destroyed and we need to remain a free nation-with justice for all-

4. economy

5. The state of Pennsylvania should be buying from Pennsylvania vendors, which would improve the ecomony and create new jobs. Technology grants are given to help people get trained, but the jobs aren't here. The governor seems to have cut all PA vendors out of the buying process with their new policy.

6. health care reform

7. as a bussiness owner finding good young help in my industry, namely woodworking, is next to impossible, and the unskilled but trainable worker wants too much money to start.

8. over reaching regulations and taxes DEP

9. Having a business climate that keeps and attracts businesses rather than makes it too difficult to be in PA. This involves many issues.

10. LOSS OF MANUFACTURING JOBS

11. COST OF DOING BUSINESS

12. High taxes/Regulations prohibit Pennsylvania from being business friendly, thus not attracting and keeping jobs.

13. no comment too many probelms

14. too many lawsuits

15. High business taxes Loss of jobs to other countries Fuel & utility costs

16. health care workers comp.

17. Economy and jobs

18. To be prosperous, the population of this State needs to be either highly skilled or professionally trained. Both of these situations require excellent,available and affordable education. While tax incentives will attract new businesses a quality workforce will allow them to prosper and grow. We must take a longer term view and not rely on a quick but temporary fix. Education must be a priority. Healthcare also must be reinvented because the the present course allows for no winners, only losers. Everybody gives up too much to gain too little.

19. Remaining competitive with cost containment ( nat. gas energy, health care, low taxes, etc.)

20. Healthcare/Insurance

21. Health Insurance costs - insurance companies increase our bills but refuse to pay what the doctors need to stay in business! - Last year this personally cost me over $19,000 because of my daughter's car accident! Radiologists and anesthesia doctors do not even participate in any insurance plan - and demand and threaten until you pay their bills! I was stuck between the insurance companies and the doctors. Taxes that continually go against small business and the middle class Malpractice suits - too many lawyers filing worthless suits that hurt all of us. Business like Wyeth and Armstrong closing down

22. Taxes too high especially the "Death Tax" Anti-Business attitude. Too much regulation. Too much spending on "Pork"

23. Pa. is trying to develop new business growth, yet due to high self-employment and high (because there are so many different ones) business taxes is losing business to other states. #14: Leave sales tax at 6% and extend it to all products purchased...food, clothing, consumer goods purchased at a retail level. If your business re-sells or uses an item...no sales tax because they have a tax exempt status for these kinds of services, but these type of service businesses can collect sales tax on thier services. if you did this, then Pennsylvania could completely eliminate property taxation. Establish a 3% flat tax to take its place that would be used exclusively for the schools. Eliminate sex education classes from the cirriculum and use that money for real education.

24. Small Business Health Insurance

25. Health Care Costs & Frivolus Lawsuits

26. 1. high taxes of all kinds 2. trial lawyers

27. Loss of jobs due to unfavorable business climate

28. Healthcare cost - we need to focus more on the awards that attorneys get for persuing the deep pockets for their own financial gain. There should also be some caps on pain & suffereing awards and punitive awards, but not as great as on attorneys' fees. This goes beyond healthcare, but is a major factor in healthcare costs in PA.

29. Control of Government spending

30. Health care Insurance reform

31. The extremely foolish conceit that we can solve all our financial problems by legalizing slot machines.

32. High costs of doing business. Regulations,taxes and Insurance

33. Lack of infrastructure for future development, present governor is terrible and will lead rural PA to total despair

34. Ed Rendell

35. Property Taxes/ Escesses in educational spending and funding.

36. ED RENDELL

37. Distressed business climate

38. Government spending/taxes

39. The aging population coupled with the wealthier senior citizens establishing primary residence in other states. We are unable to attract businesses due to our reputation as being a union mentality state with high corporate taxes, high workmen's comp rates, high welfare payments, all of which contribute to businesses going elsewhere. Thus fewer young people and a continually rising and poorer senior citizenry requiring more and more services paid for with the public dollar.

40. Health care is going up at an alarming rate - there is no way a small business can afford to pay the premiums for the individual workers and they will have a very difficult time paying the portion that is not paid for them. In addition we are loosing doctors at an alarming rate and there does not seem to be any concerted effort to change this trend.

41. Pa liability costs

42. PROPERTY TAX SCHOOL TAX

43. HEALTH CARE FOR THE ELDERLY

44. Income Taxes and Property Taxes. Income Taxes are slowing killing Small Business and Property Taxes burden the homeowner while non-home owners pay nothing. I beleive this tax should be shared by all living in local area. The inital cost of setting this "local income tax" would be high, but would benefit the ecomomy by now encouraging home ownership.

45. Both political parties operate at such opposite extremes that the needs of the different levels of individuals and businesses are not being not serve. Equally important is spending and accountability.

46. Education

47. education reform

48. Too much government control of business start - up and expansion in the form of too uch land use regulations. There are too many forms of government having approval over land use and causes great delay and a major expense to those business who want to expand or start - up. Especially small business who does not have much extra capital. I am working with a business now who wants to modernize and expand, but they are getting so much grief from the Township government they have met with Maryland officials and are considering moving their entire operation to Cecil County MD - 100 plus jobs. Pa must embrace business and help them stay by eliminating review and land use control at the local governmnet level.

49. funding of our schools through property taxes. this tax needs to be eliminated totally, forever!

50. The unwillingness of the legislature to cut spending, stop the escallation of government, and to make Pennsylvania a business friendly state.

51. I have to say education, our system is pretty good, but we need to strive to make it better, without educated people, there's no way we can solve the other problems.

52. Young people leaving because of job climate, higher cost of living and officials who do not care about how they waste our money.

53. The cost of doing business in Pennsylvania is out of control. Health care and Workers' Comp. costs make businesses want or need to move or close.

54. INSURANCE COSTS

55. school taxes and the inability for residents of a community to decide to stop overpopulating thier communities by builders and thus costing long term residents to pay higher taxes to support new schools and township costs when the builders have no impact fees to pay and just reap profits and leaving a finacial mess behind. all being attributed to fair and equal housing.

56. Education and young people retention in Northeast, PA

57. The uncontrolled court settlements that cost the doctors , insurance companies and all of us. We need to put caps on court settlements.

58. Tax relief for business and property owners.

59. A too liberal governor!

60. reduce taxes, cut spending

61. Business and Personal Taxes at State and Local levels.

62. abortion

63. Gov. Rendell (taxes too high) property tax,Insurance, workmans comp corp tax all too high!

64. GOVERNMENT REGULATION,INTERVENTION AND MANIPULATION OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY

65. Healthcare. From the cost of insurance to the doctors themselves, including malpractice insurance.

66. Rendell

67. taxes/gambleing, we don't need to replace one to have another possibily bigger problem

68. Loss of industry

69. Gov Rendell over taxing businesses and discouraging new businesses to move into PA. His proposal to lock out small PA business services to PA government and give it to businesses outside of PA

70. Property Taxes and Nuisance Taxes. They stunt growth of both residential and commercial development.

71. Wasteful Government Bureaucracy

72. health care costs (insurance costs are too high - which are making cost of doing business too high) and raising taxes

73. For our small business it is employee insurance...we have one full time employee and pay 700 a month.... we need help! We also need to keep steel prices in line, so when we keep it in this country will the prices be of benefit to us small guys? What are we going to do about the gasoline situation? that in it self will drive up costs of all our materials and we will be force to pass it on to our customers.... I think that will be one big problem for our economy.

74. Stop the migration of businesses out of PA. Atract more business.

75. Trail lawyers and medical insurance, and obtaining insurance for my business.

76. tax reform-property and business-lowering will help the economy and thus increase the revenue

77. imports

78. Jobs...Jobs ...Jobs

79. Property tax reform

80. health care costs

81. Over Spending by our elected officials.

82. real estate taxes need to be eliminated!

83. Health care costs

84. Not a right to work state.

85. True Godly morals and respect for every Human being.

86. HIGH COST OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND DOCTORS LEAVING PENNSYLVANIA

87. education

88. Taxes,more taxes and more taxes we have enough people can't afford to live

89. Govenment spending.

90. Health insurance out of control

91. Skilled Labor

92. Health care and shrinking S.S.Funds.

93. taxes (property, employment)

94. Health care costs.

95. Too many jobs being taken out of the country for cheaper labor. This hurts real bad.

96. the govenor

97. RISING PROPERTY TAXES

98. jobs

99. The fortune 500 retailers are killing the small business and nothing they sell is made in the U.S...and they MONOPOLIZE the retail business and this hurts in many ways. They steal the sales we need to pay Ins. and Taxes. If they share the sales we could keep our employees and the business...Stop off shore buying put our country back to manufacturing what we sell in the retail stores...

100. medical care

101. Health Care Cost

102. We continue to spen too much money on new programs that will never go away even while we cannot maintain the programs we all ready have in place. Our park system limps along, our highways (in better shape than they have been) still aren't the best. We have so many places to spend money we simply do not need any more.

103. jobs

104. Governor Ed Rendall

105. Over regulation primarily in the area of overlapping land use regulations between Township, County, State, & Federal agencies. I'm a consulting Engineer / Land Surveyor who daily deals with overlapping / conflicting regulations that stimeys the approval / consturction process and leads people not to expand operations. The state is trying to control growth to the point were it is intimidating people not to try.

106. healthcare costs

107. Businesses leaving the state.

108. school funding and school spending

109. Established companies are not able to receive any reduced business taxes in order to stay in Pa. The majority of tax reduced incentives are for the newer "start up" companies.

110. Too many taxes... gambling revenues going to other states. Property taxes too high!!

111. Property taxes are too high.

112. HEALTH CARECOSTS

113. the state is pushing small business and people right out of the state and into a no job situation

114. High taxes. Both business and personal. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to do business in PA

115. High Taxes and fuel cost

116. Health Care costs

117. Education funding

118. farmland preservation

119. Modernize the State Government, Bring it into the 21st Century. Other State Governments run so much more smoothly. This State is still in the 18th Century mode. Taxes, Corporation Taxes, A lot of what the government does could be and should be privatized to the private sector and would cut taxes and have a more efficient method of helping the citizens of this Commonwealth. Study the "new " way New Zealand Government works. It works! Thank You!

120. 1. Wouldn't it be nice that when someone is elected president that we give him room to work, everyone talks about President Bush sending jobs over sea's. I might be wrong, but didn't that take a majority of Congress and House of Representivies to pass any bill?, or was take another rider tacked onto another motion. 2. Ever wonder how much Congress members paid for their Health Insurance, or do they have their own private plan? 3. When taxes are raised, do you think take big industry, electric companies, phone companies, etc put up with it, or do they raise their rates so the average person has to cough up their increases along with their taxes. LAST What is the opposite of Progress? answer: CONGRESS

121. energy

122. Unemployment

123. Government speanding and property tax to high

124. Ed Rendell! Taxes! Property taxes should be offset with a 1% increase in LOCAL income tax. Property tax relief should be geared towards the elderly and long-term residents who have paid more than their fair share.

125. A motivated and progressive economy... A healthy economy is one which is constantly changing and growing. Money must exchange hands and business must grow in order for there to be prosperity and the state and federal government should make consistent and aggressive efforts to support and assist small to medium size businesses. Growing small businesses hire local people, promote communities growth, and are the foundation of our economy and need to be constantly pushed and supported...

126. Poor business climate with an overreaching union influence

127. BUSINESS INSURANCE COSTS AND AVAILABILITY

128. cutting the size of PA government and it's antiquated bureacrecy. make it simpler and more profitable for small business to start, exist and prosper at the local levels. if someone is going to give HERCO 25 million or so to build a new (too small)arena, which they could do with their own pocket change, why not make it easier for a small business (2-20 employee) to have access to true ECONOMIC DEVELOPEMENT $$$$$$!!!!!!! my employees actually live in the community where my business is located and actually spend their pay here, benefitting everyone. imagine if i could be in a position to hire 2 more people to my staff and the economic impact that would have!

129. A liberal Govenor whos knows only how to TAX and SPEND

130. Property Tax Reform

131. Out of control insurance premiums caused by blood sucking laywers who need to be reined in with malpractice and tort refrom.

132. OVER TAXATION/ FEDERAL/STATE REGULATIONS

133. taxes. They need to be lowered and the government made smaller by cutting programs.

134. Rapidly aging public = smaller tax base = less jobs = less business growth + high taxes = a statehood nightmare following in the steps of CA

135. The perception of other parts of the country about our business climate. We are looked at as taxed, regulated, and insurance-laden.

136. TAX REFORM Property first, then sales tax. AS a retailer, I would prefer to see a salestax system that charges salestax on ALL items, to ALL buyers, except government entities, ALL the time. Exemptions can be implemented through the income tax filing system.

137. Too much government taxation/regulation. Political corruption.

138. Health Insurance costs

139. There are TWO major problems: Workman's Comp & Health Insurance It appears we have a system of Lawyers protecting Lawyers... Both issues will drive our company out of PA. We can't afford to have our Health Insurance raised 20- 25% a year AND have good doctors leaving due to the malpractice insurance issues. Nor can we afford the high cost of workman's comp insurance for a program that favors the worker to the point of encouraging bogus claims.

140. Taxes

141. Increasing Health Insurance costs

142. High workers comp. rates

143. A poor business climate.

144. Aging of population, which is due to lack of jobs for young people, which is due to disincentives to create more jobs (litigous social climate, payroll taxes, workers' comp, increased regulation & Byzantine tax laws - some state-created, some federally created, favoring big corporations who don't create new jobs).

145. The single most important problem is the cost of doing business in PA. This issue ranges from Medical doctors to the small business owners.

146. Property taxes-(Taxes in general)

147. High taxes & Union Mentality

148. Over development

149. Sorry, can't limit to 1: High Regulation, Complex Tax Structure, Medical Insurance cast due to bogus law suits

150. The Federal Gov. gives us a tax break and then Gov. Rendell along with the local Gov. increase our taxes and we end up with less money in our pay. State and local Gov. need to realize they have to cut spending and taxes because people can't afford to live. The more money you put in the hands of working home owners, the more money they will put back into the local economy. It's time for someone to use common sense in our Gov.

151. Excessive looting of the state and its citizens by lawyers.

152. jobs

153. We have a governor who is only concerned with big cities and bigger business. Oh yes, he is concerned with the poor. He would like me to support them!

154. insurance

155. Business climate with all of the regulations and taxes.

156. Health care and a poor business environment (over regulated and taxed)

157. The threat of possible gambling being introduced on a grand or minor scale.

158. Rendell's spending and deficit

159. Litigation problems causing huge increases in products and services.

160. Cost of ineffective Gov.

161. LACK OF GROWTH IN TECHNOLOGY RELATED JOBS

162. NAFTA !!!...Get rid of it.

163. High taxes especially school and income.

164. Health Premium Pricing, Tort Reform

165. Taxes

166. Out of control spending without fiscal resrtaints.

167. Taxes

168. medical malpractice reform

169. Negative Business Climate/ High Taxes and Too many regulations

170. legalized gambling

171. Taxes - we need relief!

172. As a metal fabricator, the uncontrolled cost of steel surcharges is damaging the metal fabrication industry. It is nearly impossible to accurately quote, not knowing how much the steel will cost week to week. Metal is also in short supply, and out weeks and months to get. We cannot compete with the very low cost Chinese steel products. These steel surcharges and its unavailability will be responsible for metal fabricators going out of business. Yes, in house orders have been picking up, but we are still trying to rebound from very low profits and some losses last few years. We have already bare boned our operating costs. We can't catch up with the cost of the steel being so high and with unpredictable availability. Though we could certainly use more people, there is no way we can hire new people and still be competitive with the cost of our products. So we don't hire and squeeze productivity out of the people we have. I know other fabricators are in the same boat. In my humble opinion, it looks bad for manufacturers in the metal fabrication industry. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the instability.

173. Inability of the state to collect sales tax on all internet sales due to the major impact of lost revenues

174. Need to change the anti-business environment and welcome new business via tax & employment incentives. Most of the small to moderate sized businesses I deal with embrace the opportunity to expand their companies. Just as an example, we utilized the federal tax incentives as part of President Bush's plan to reinvest heavily in our company both through capital expenditures and increased employment. If only Government has the fiscal responsibility that we business people do. Tax and Spend is not the way to build PA's future. Inevitably our aging population will bear some of the brunt of changing PA, but for the sake of our future and our children's future, let's hope it happens!

175. school taxes

176. Not having Right to Work Legislation

177. Funding state programs

178. Punitive taxes on businesses, Republicans want to spend as much as the Democrats.

179. tax burden on small business. Too many social programs

180. Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

181. poor business climate/ taxes

182. Decaying infrastucture [potholes, vacant downtowns ,urban spraul, loss of recent grads to other states

183. There is just not anough good jobs that people can make a living at. Also these componeys that are bringing in people from other countrys to work in are small towns are not right. They can't even speak english and I'm sure alot don't have green cards and the componeys know they don't. Like the Doller wairhouse and Berwick endrests as well as a lot of others.

184. Urban sprawl with no regard to small towns or businesses. More emphasis should be given to strengthing what we have ( small mom and pops, local school districts, and communities ) and not worry about more shopping centers that some get an enourmous kick back from or on the pretext that they bring in jobs. They bring us nothing substantial - no benefits and not enough to raise a family on. They take the heart and soul out of boros, towns, and cities.

185. Moving the state into the 21st Century by attracting new business, keeping young people in the state, focusing on new ideas to make the state grow. The State Legislature is too bog down in politics as usual and cannot think outside the box to invigorate the economy in this state. The State Legislature needs to remember why the people voted for Ed Rendell. The voters were seeking energy, new ideas and someone who could shake things up in the Legislature. I am a life long Pennsylvania resident and wage earner however, I am starting to think that Pennsylvania will never change and I need to start looking elsewhere to build a life.

186. PA does nothing to entice new companies or to keep existing firms in the State. Rendell is pro big government and advocates deficit spending. He is an idiot. I have placed my building for sale today (3/30/04. I hope to be in North Carolina by year's end. This latest tax increase is the straw that broke the camel's back.

187. Excessive income, property and business taxes.

188. Taxes and Frivolous lawsuits

189. Overbearing local and state regulations, including the fact that state and local regulations are not simplified so that multiple rwregulations control the same activity.

190. property taxes

191. Increasingly negative attitude toward small business

192. Balanced budget with tax reform

193. Taxes

194. Business climate

195. medical insurance availability and cost

196. Medical Climate concerning doctors

197. Taxes

198. Health Insurance Coverage for everyone

199. Caps on medical malpractice and other lawsuit reform - We have got to get a hold on the courts who listen to every whiner out there. Sorry - that is a pet peeve of mine.

200. property taxes and lawsuits

201. Brain drain of our younger people.

202. UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET INFORMATION ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE SYSTEM AND WHERE THE MONEY IS GOING. I HAVE SEEN FRAUDULANT CLAIMS PAID WITH LITTLE OVERSIGHT. tHE WHOLE PROCESS NEEDS THE LIGHT OF DAY. ALSO, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD OF THE PROMISE OF FUSION POWER FUNDS FOR WHICH WERE GUTTERD BY THE LAST 4 PRESIDENTS?

203. The Media! I would like to know the numbers of what the US imports compared to exports. This would help me with me make my mind up about import tariffs and free trade.

204. Anti-business climate

205. economy

206. High taxes which has created a negative business climate.

207. Tort Reform

208. UNDERGOUND ECONOMY IS HURTING US MORE THAN ANYTHING.....DO AWAY WITH INCOME TAXES AND PROPERTY TAXES; ADJUST THE SALES TAX TO COMPENSATE FOR THE DIFFERENCE. SIMPLE VERIFIABLE,AND TOTALLY COLLECTABLE

209. medical malpracice If the doctors continue to leave the state will become more like a third world nation. As it is I see having to travel more to see any kind of spcialists because the outlying areas will be less able to support these doctors. I feel we are pushing towards socialized medicine which is not a good thing. If you push the doctors hard enough they will either quit or go to socialized medical services.

210. Pa is fine

211. Affordable health care

212. Runaway municipal unions / teacher unions

213. Property taxes are out of control. Something needs to be done. Middle class working Americans are having enough trouble making ends meet. Escalating property taxes are causing people to sell and move.

214. Today's Pennsylvania is about 20-30 years behind the times in culture, attitude, and thinking. Progressive companies must be inticed to locate here and STAY!

215. We need progressive thinkers not labor unions. Our state has a public relation problem. We are now considered union freindly and our workforce is in need of education.

216. Cost of providing health benefits to our employees.High costs of doing the right thing for your employees are making it difficult to be competitive and are definitly keeping me from increasing my hiring.

217. Decreasing the roll fo government, with the exception of providing seed low interest loans and a few grants to help small business grow and become larger, nmore significant employers.

218. Tax Reform and funding for public education.

219. Insurance

220. Taxes

221. OVER TAXATION OF SMALL BUSINESS & HEALTH CARE COSTS

222. taxes

223. Health Care Costs

224. A healthy business climate to produce new jobs and tax revenues.

225. Economic Growth

226. High taxes

227. Lack of job growth

228. Health care costs

229. Gov. Rendell has made too many promises to too many groups.

230. High taxes and over regulation.

231. Medical Insurance Costs

232. job creation fair taxes

233. Health Insurance Costs.

234. Lack of leadership/direction from the governor.

235. Property tax reform through the 4% sales is the greatest issue facing me. I believe it is a great idea. Property tax reform will not be achieve with gambling, in fact I believe it will be a detriment to this state if Gov. Rendell is successful in passing legislation legalizing gambling.

236. Over taxation, regulations