Economist puts Utah 5th on pro-business list

Utah ranked fifth in a poll of "pro-business" states conducted by economist and corporate relocation expert Ronald R. Pollina.

"Pollina Corporate Top Ten Pro-Business States 2007: Keeping Jobs In America," a state-by-state evaluation of the job creation and retention efforts, ranked Virginia first. California was last.

The Pollina study evaluates and ranks states based on 28 factors including taxes, human resources, right-to-work legislation, energy costs, infrastructure spending, workers compensation legislation and jobs lost or gained. The evaluation includes state government-controlled factors based on incentive programs and state economic development departments.