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What passes for business 'love' in Idaho

• Published March 09, 2010

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Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has written a “love” letter to Washington and Oregon businesses, suggesting his state is open for their business if the other states’ politicians keep raising taxes.

Never mind all those potatoes and income taxes that so clearly mark our neighbor to the east.

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire today sounded ready for a fight for businesses. The Democratic governor said she had a call in to the Republican state’s governor later today and is sending him a message that she’ll gladly go after his companies, too.

Gregoire claimed she doesn't know a lot about Idaho (though her family keeps a summer cabin on a lake there).

She said Idaho has a 7.6 percent corporate income tax, a 6 percent sales tax (Washington is 6.5 percent state, up to 9.5 percent including locals), and a personal income tax ranging from 1.6 percent to 7.8 percent. To top it off, she noted Forbes magazine ranked Washington well for business climate and was No. 5 for regulatory climate compared to Idaho's No. 35. Idaho was slipping in other measures, while Washington gained.

The governor ended with a "you get my point" as though to say there is plenty of ammo back in the shack if this turns into a range war.