Businesses launching in Atlanta can expect affordable construction permit costs, favorable tax burdens and an efficient legal system in enforcing contracts.
On the downside, the construction permit process can be slower than in comparable cities and new firms must pay a business license tax based on projected revenue and number of employees.
That’s the conclusion of a study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation that placed Atlanta fifth on a “regulatory climate index” that gauged the cost of doing business in 10 U.S. cities.
The Foundation studied the impact of regulations in five areas: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, registering property, paying taxes and enforcing contracts.
In addition to Atlanta, the study focused on Los Angeles, New York City, Raleigh, N.C., Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco and St. Louis.
Overall, Atlanta was judged as “moderately efficient,” with a fifth place finish in starting a business, sixth in dealing with construction permits, third in registering property, fourth in paying taxes and fourth in enforcing contracts. Dallas was No. 1 overall while New York was No. 10.
Atlanta’s performance reflected efforts by the city to develop programs and initiatives to strengthen the business environment, provide access to capital and encourage economic growth, the Foundation said. But Atlanta needs improvements to streamline procedures and expedite the approval time for construction permits.
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