FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 14, 2005
For more information contact:

Rachel Girt, WBC
Phone: 307.777.2851; Cel 307.631.4681

Cameron Hardy, Sen. Thomas press secretary
Phone: 202.224.6441 or 202.577.4237

Thomas takes on the ‘Big Apple’ in the name of Wyoming business

WASHINGTON – As the April 15 tax deadline nears, U.S. Senator Craig Thomas will be in New York City, working the corridors of Wall Street.

Thomas, a member of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee, will ring the closing bell Friday at the New York Stock Exchange.

Thomas and members of the Wyoming Business Council will take the trip to meet with folks from the New York Stock Exchange and other financial institutions. The goal of the day is to promote Wyoming as a place where business can flourish. Wyoming is one of the few states that does not have personal or corporate income taxes.

“Wyoming, with all its open space, friendly people, and ripe business environment, can be a fruitful home for business. Our objective in New York is to highlight these points, in addition to the friendly tax environment that Wyoming has. If we can lure larger corporations to our state, we can create more jobs and boost the state’s economy. We need to promote Wyoming as a great place to do business and a great place to live. The quality of life we enjoy in our state is something that business people tout to attract employees. As we make a concerted effort to attract businesses to Wyoming, it gives us a chance to highlight everything our state has to offer,” Thomas said.

“With every piece of legislation, it’s important to remember that we’re working to improve Wyoming’s quality of life. It continues to be the overriding theme of what I’m doing in my work in the Senate and I’m looking forward to taking that valuable message to New York. Wyoming’s people deserve the opportunities that come from a solid business environment,” Thomas said.

Development Counsellors International, which is the Wyoming Business Council’s national media contractor, made the bell ringing possible and is arranging national media coverage.
“The bell ringing is part of the Wyoming Business Council’s recruitment efforts to promote Wyoming as a great place to do business,” said Tucker Fagan, CEO of the Wyoming Business Council. “Wyoming has one of the friendliest environments for small business because of its tax structure, quality of life and low crime rate.”

MEDIA INFORMATION: The Closing Bell starts at 3:55 pm on Friday, April 15. Photos are available via Associated Press/New York (212.621.1902), Reuters America (646.223.6285) and Bloomberg Photo (212.893.3420). The Closing Bell (starting at 3:55 p.m.) feeds are available via fiber line at Waterfront #1630. News media interested in covering events should contact the NYSE at (212. 656.2065).

The Wyoming group also includes: Dick McGinity, a businessman and Wyoming Business Council board member; Jeff Sussman, a businessman and former Business Council Board member; and Tucker Fagan, CEO of the Wyoming Business Council. McGinity and Sussman have joined the group to help promote Wyoming as a great place to do business through national media interviews.

Facts about Wyoming

• According to the Wyoming Taxpayers Association, Wyoming’s personal tax burden is the second lowest in the nation. Wyoming’s major yearly personal taxes are about 4 percent of income, while the regional average ranges from 7 percent to 9 percent. The national average varies from 8 percent to 10 percent, depending on income level.
• According the Small Business Survival Index, Wyoming had the third best environment for small businesses & entrepreneurship. The ranking shows how friendly or unfriendly state’s public policy environments are to small business.
• According to the Pollina Corporate Top 10 Pro-Business States Wyoming ranked sixth in the nation for being pro-business.

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.wyomingbusiness.org.

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