THEIR RESIDENTS YET AGAIN WITH
POTENTIALLY HIGHER TAXES, MUCH
HIGHER TAXES, PUT THAT IN
PERSPECTIVE WHEN YOU HEAR THAT
THE LIKES OF ORACLE AND
HEWLETT-PACKARD ENTERPRISES AND
EVEN ELON MUSK IS MOVING HIS
HOME TO TEXAS AND YOU ARE
BEGINNING TO SEE A TREND HERE.
SOME PEOPLE ARE CALLING IT THE
LATEST TEXODUS, IF YOU WILL, TO
PLAY OUT THE THEME IF YOU WANT
SAFER TAX ENVIRONMENTS HERE.
SHARICE SEES THE REASON WHY IT’S
HAPPENING, AUSTIN CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
VERY GOOD TO HAVE YOU, AND MERRY
CHRISTMAS TO YOU.
CERTAINLY BEEN A MERRY CHRISTMAS
FOR TEXAS, HASN’T IT, BECAUSE
THEY ARE LINING UP ONE AFTER
ANOTHER TO COME TO THE LONE STAR
STATE.
WHAT IS THE DRAW, YOU THINK?
>> WELL, FIRST, THANK YOU, NEIL,
AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AS
WELL.
YOU KNOW WHAT, I THINK YOU SAID
A LOT OF IT JUST IN THE
BEGINNING THERE, THAT TEXAS HAS
A VERY BUSINESS-FRIENDLY
ENVIRONMENT.
WE DON’T HAVE A PERSONAL INCOME
TAX.
SOME PEOPLE, THEY HEAR THAT,
THEY’RE LIKE WHAT?
SO WE’RE VERY ADVANTAGEOUS FOR
INDIVIDUALS MOVING HERE.
BUT WE’VE GOT A LOWER COST OF
LIVING.
WE’RE BELOW THE NATIONAL
AVERAGE.
OUR STATE AND LOCAL TAX BURDEN
IS 18% BELOW THE NATIONAL
AVERAGE.
WE ALSO HAVE THE SIXTH BEST
EDUCATED WORK FORCE IN A MAJOR
METRO AREA IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF
ACCOLADES.
THE THING ABOUT AUSTIN, THOUGH,
IS THAT IT IS LITTLE BLEND
WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS, IT’S
A VERY CREATIVE, VERY
INNOVATIVE, VERY COLLABORATIVE
ENVIRONMENT, AND IT’S ATTRACTIVE
TO A LOT OF THESE BIG COMPANIES
BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT, AT THE
END OF THE DAY, COMPANIES NEED
TO MAKE A PROFIT.
AND THEY WANT TO MAKE A PROFIT
BUT THEY ARE ALSO VERY --
BECOMING VERY SOCIAL CONSCIOUS.
THEY WANT TO GIVE BACK TO THEIR
COMMUNITY.
THEY WANT THEIR EMPLOYEES TO BE
INVOLVED IN COMMUNITIES.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY
ARE A BUSINESS AND IT’S THOSE
PROFITS THEY CAN THEN TURN INTO
THOSE GOOD DEEDS THEY’RE DOING
IN ALL OF THESE COMMUNITIES.
NEIL: YOU KNOW, IT’S DEFINITELY
PICKED UP THE PACE.
I TALKED ABOUT ORACLE AND
HEWLETT-PACKARD ENTERPRISE, ELON
MUSK AND TESLA AND ALL THIS, BUT
WHAT’S STRIKING ABOUT IT IS THE
MIRROR OPPOSITE OF WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN SO MANY STATES LIKE
NEW YORK, WHERE WE SHOWED THESE
PROTESTS GOING ON.
THEY’RE LOOKING AT HAVING TO
RAISE TAXES TO FILL THESE
REVENUE GAPS.
THAT’S NOT GOING DOWN WELL.
IMAGINE THEIR SITUATION WILL
ONLY GET WORSE IF THE ONLY WAY
THEY CAN SORT OF BALANCE THE
BOOKS IS TO DO IT WITH HIGHER
TAXES.
IT PLAYS OUT IN ONE STATE AFTER
ANOTHER BUT NOT TEXAS.
I GUESS THE OBVIOUS QUESTION I
HAVE FOR YOU IS WITH ALL OF
THESE PEOPLE AND BUSINESSES
COMING, CAN YOU SUPPORT THEM
WITHOUT RAISING TAXES, WITHOUT
DOING THE KIND OF THING THAT
OTHER STATES SAY WE HAVE TO DO
THAT TO SUPPORT THE NEW
INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THESE TENS
OF THOUSANDS, HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF FOLKS COMING OVER
TO OUR STATE?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT’S AN
INTERESTING QUESTION, BECAUSE IN
TEXAS, THAT’S SOMETHING THAT’S
TALKED ABOUT.
JUST IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW,
OUR LEGISLATURE IS ABOUT TO GO
INTO SESSION AND PEOPLE GO WHAT
DO YOU MEAN, THEY’RE ABOUT TO.
THEY ONLY MEET EVERY OTHER YEAR.
WE APPRECIATE THAT.
WE LIKE TO LIMIT THAT IMPACT.
YOU KNOW, WE REALLY ARE FOCUSED
ON IF YOU CAN PROVIDE THE
MECHANISMS FOR BUSINESSES TO BE
SUCCESSFUL, THEN THAT’S GOING TO
TRANSLATE INTO PEOPLE THAT HAVE
JOBS THAT ARE ABLE TO WORK, THAT
THEN HAVE THAT INCOME THAT TURNS
THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND
THROUGH THE STATE.
SO IT’S MORE ABOUT GIVING
COMPANIES THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE
TO MAKE THAT MONEY AND TO MAKE
THAT PROFIT THAT TURNS INTO THAT
ECONOMIC ENGINE.
SO IT’S NOT LET’S SEE IF WE CAN
TAX OUR WAY OUT OF A HOLE.
NEIL: INTERESTING.
I FORGOT ABOUT -- I BELIEVE YOUR
LEGISLATURE MEETS THE FEWEST
DAYS OF ANY IN THE COUNTRY YET
IT’S PRETTY PRODUCTIVE.
I REMEMBER ONE TEXAS BUSINESSMAN
THAT SAID TO ME, MY ACCENT IS
HORRIBLE, IT’S LESS TIME TO DO
ANY DAMAGE, NEIL.
I ALWAYS LIKED THAT.
LESS TIME TO DO ANY DAMAGE.
THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH.