Which Countries Have Lowest Business Costs?
According to the 2016 Competitive Alternatives report from KPMG, the United States has dropped to 10th place for lowest business costs — the only time the U.S. has ever placed this low in Competitive Alternatives rankings.
Q2 2016
Two other NAFTA members rank first and second. As the only high-growth (emerging) country included in the study, Mexico represents the lowest-cost country examined. In 2016, Mexico’s business cost advantage over the U.S. stands at 22.5 percent, higher than at any point in this decade. And Canada maintains its second place rank among the 10 countries, with business costs 14.6 percent below the U.S.
Area Development’s ranking of the site selection factors from its 2015 Annual Corporate Survey is also highlighted in the Competitive Alternatives report. It’s noted that nearly half of the ranked site selection factors have direct implications on the cost of business, including labor costs, corporate tax rates as well as tax exemptions and state and local incentives, available land and buildings, energy availability and costs, and inbound/outbound shipping costs.
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Geraldine Gambale, Editor, Area Development Magazine
Geraldine Gambale has overseen the editorial operations at Area Development magazine for 25 years. Under her direction, the publication has provided valuable site selection and facility planning information to its corporate readers through insightful articles and advice from industry experts, as well as from those who work in the economic development field. Her meetings with high-level government and industry officials in the United States and abroad have provided a prospective of what’s behind companies’ location and expansion decisions. She is also responsible for conducting and analyzing the results of Area Development’s highly regarded Annual Corporate and Consultants surveys. Prior to joining Area Development, Ms. Gambale worked in the banking industry. She holds a BA in English from Queens College, New York.
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