The Tax Foundation, a leading independent tax policy research organization, recently released its State Business Tax Climate Index, comparing the tax systems of all 50 states.
It is an environmental restoration program, but it has produced significant economic benefits for the Great Lakes region, including Buffalo Niagara.
Promoting Buffalo Niagara’s recently improved public image and attracting professional talent to the region go hand in hand. The Buffalo Niagara Partnership discussed the critical nexus between these efforts as part of our annual our annual cross-council boat tour of the Buffalo River and Outer Harbor.
Buffalo’s revitalization isn’t just happening within city limits. Communities throughout the region are using economic development tools to their benefit.
The Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s publication series Metro 50 Buffalo Niagara is a factsheet-style resource that evaluates Buffalo Niagara’s performance in topical areas related to economic development. Metro 50 takes a look at the progress of other peer metros – regions similar to ours in population, resources and economic challenges – and compares their progress to our own. This gives context to the performance of Buffalo Niagara and offers us the opportunity to learn from their best practices.
For years, we have written about the disinvestment that our region has had in its transportation network. Unmaintained roadways, bridges in disrepair and a limited public transit system, hindered by a lack of operating and capital improvement funds. These conditions have been a challenge to our economy, our workforce and our quality of life.
In December, Washington passed the much-debated Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which brought sweeping changes to the tax structure for individuals and companies in the United States. For many, this bill represented a potential turning point for the American economy.
When planning your next trip to the state capital, put down the car keys and exchange them for a boarding pass. Starting this February, OneJet will takeoff from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport enroute to Albany. This is a big win for the local business community which worked diligently to bring this service back after being pulled more than seven years ago.
OneJet will begin non-stop flights to Albany from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport on February 1, 2018. OneJet CEO, Matt Maguire, said during an introductory press conference Monday “the business community has been very responsive” with the efforts to bring round-trip service from Buffalo to the state capital.
Empire State Development Corporation has been a partner and leader in the revitalization of the Buffalo Niagara region. New York State’s economic development arm has been a central pivot for collaboration through the Regional Economic Development Council and a key organizing agency for our area’s priorities in public investment to stimulate new private growth. Beyond the agency’s support for signature projects such as Riverbend’s Tesla gigafactory and the Northland Workforce Training Center, Empire State Development offers a number of ongoing programs aimed at incrementally growing key sectors of the Buffalo Niagara economy.
