As the economy in Massachusetts continues to struggle, the last thing we need is more bad news. Unfortunately, that is exactly what we got. According to an article in today’s Boston Globe, Evergreen Solar, a producer of solar panels, will be moving work overseas. Specifically, the article reports, the assembly of solar panels will now be done in China.The Globe reports that “About half of the 577 full-time and 230 contract employees at the Devens factory are involved in putting the panels together. Evergreen declined to say how many of those jobs would disappear with the scheduled transfer next year to China, where it is expanding because of lower costs.”
When the company’s CEO was asked the reason behind the move, Richard M. Feldt said “that prices for assembled panels have fallen more than 30 percent in just the last year, making it very difficult for manufacturers located in high-cost regions to remain price competitive.”
How many more companies is the state going to drive away before Massachusetts Democrats realize their policies are the reason for the mass exodus of businesses and jobs? Just last fiscal year, Democratic lawmakers passed the largest corporate tax increase in our state’s history. It is steps like these that make moving to the Commonwealth unattractive for corporations.
Earlier this year, Republican legislators filed legislation to repeal the corporate tax increase. That idea was rejected and instead a whole host of other taxes were raised, including the sales tax. Maybe it’s time to do things a little differently?
