New Study Outlines the Road to Economic Recovery for States: Connecticut's Economic Outlook Declines, Now Ranks 36th Nationally

WASHINGTON, June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to the latest edition of an annual study by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Connecticut's economic outlook has fallen and the state now ranks 36th out of the 50 states. As states face their toughest budgetary climates in a generation, the third edition of Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index offers a clear cut roadmap to prosperity.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091014/ALECLOGO)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091014/ALECLOGO)

"We cannot spend, borrow, or tax our way into prosperity," said Senator Kevin Witkos, ALEC's Connecticut State Chairman. "State government must learn to live within its means as we continually look for ways to make our great state more competitive and cultivate a business climate that will produce jobs."

Connecticut has room to improve its economic outlook especially with the state's poor labor policies and high property taxes. Among neighboring states, Rhode Island's economic outlook ranks 45th, Massachusetts ranks 32nd, and New York ranks dead last nationally.

Co-author and renowned economist Dr. Arthur B. Laffer summarized the report's findings when he said, "Tax and economic policies are essential to the competitiveness of our states." Rich States, Poor States presents state economic outlook rankings based on public policies that have a proven impact on growth, revealing which states have the best chance of experiencing economic recovery, and which need to re-examine their policies before they can expect to see improvement.

Laffer and his co-authors, Stephen Moore, senior economics writer at The Wall Street Journal, and Jonathan Williams, director of ALEC's Tax and Fiscal Policy Task Force, analyzed how economic competitiveness drives income, population, and job growth in the states.

"Our research shows that states with responsible spending and competitive tax rates enjoy the best economic outlook," Williams said. "States do not enact changes in a vacuum – every time they increase the cost of doing business in their state, their state brand immediately loses value."

To read more about the state-to-state comparisons, and view the full report, download it for free at www.alec.org.

SOURCE American Legislative Exchange Council

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED