NEW: MA Gets Better Grade in 2013 For Small Business Friendliness

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Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Tracey O'Neill, GoLocalWorcester News Contributor

Massachusetts’ small business economy may be showing potential for growth according to a recent nationwide study crediting it with a “C-“ overall. The study showed that Massachusetts improved its overall grade slightly, climbing from a “D” in 2012 and earning a ”C-“ ranking in this year's study.

Massachusetts showed improvement in its small business friendliness ranking in a recent survey conducted by Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private non-profit organization dedicated to funding economic research.

Thumbtack.com released the 2013 results from its second annual Small Business Survey, drawing upon data from over 7,000 small business owners across the country.

Best grades for MA

The state’s highest ranking came in the new category of training and networking programs, where it received a “B” ranking. Improvement was seen in multiple areas including regulation, ease of business start-up, health and safety, tax code, licensing and zoning. The lowest rankings came in the form of “D+” in the categories of ease of hiring; and employment, labor, and training.

Also ranked near the bottom of the barrel in New England was Maine, receiving an “F” for overall friendliness, while scoring top rankings in regulation, health and safety, labor and employment.

“Some 7,000 businesses owners across the country have told us that they care about a lot more than just taxes – for most businesses, simple licensing regulations and helpful training programs are even more important to their success, said Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack.com.

The state also ranked among the easiest states for obtaining and keeping health insurance.

Key findings

Key findings uncovered during the survey included:

• Rhode Island was the least friendly state.

• Newark, New Jersey was the least friendly city.

• Professional licensing requirements were deemed more important than taxes by 30 percent.

• Forty percent of U.S. small businesses were subject to licensing regulations by multiple jurisdictions or levels of government.

• The ease of obtaining health insurance was an important factor for many businesses.

• One third of small business owners rated obtaining and keeping health insurance as "Very Difficult," versus only 6 percent who rated it "Very Easy."

A positive when determining taxation practices, small businesses were found to be relatively unconcerned with tax rates with more than half of those surveyed feeling that they paid a fair share of taxes.

Data for the survey was collected in an online forum over a period of two months.

For more information on the survey, go here.

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