Report ranks Missouri in top business states, but ignored by national Republicans

– Missouri was among the top 10 business friendly states, according to Pollina, a leading national brokerage firm.

The numbers were praised by Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon on Tuesday, who received personal praise from Pollina’s report. But Missouri was omitted from praise by the Republican Governors Association, which only touted the nine other states led by GOP governors who received Pollina’s praise.

“Pollina’s ratings prove GOP governors are achieving real results through their pro-jobs, pro-growth policies,” their post on Twitter read, linking to a graphic which listed all the other states on the list – without Missouri.

Nixon’s office noted that it was the third year Missouri has been on the list, using the opportunity to praise the state’s corporate tax and regulatory environment.

“Once again, Missouri’s low taxes, predictable economic environment, and focus on strict fiscal discipline have kept us a top-ten state for businesses to start, locate and expand,” Nixon said. “We will continue to hold the line on taxes while making strategic investments in Missouri’s future to create jobs and keep our state moving forward.”

In a statement, RGA Press Secretary Jon Thompson said: “In all fairness – the message of the RGA graphic was that 9 of the 10 top spots on the Pollina rankings were states with Republican Governors. If the DGA wants to promote that they had only 1 gov (Nixon) in the top 10 spots, they are welcome to do so.”

The study looked at 30 criterion, including taxes, human resources, energy costs, infrastructure spending, economic incentive programs, and state economic development efforts.

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