Good Intent Doesn’t Guarantee Good Outcomes

Companies in Delaware may soon reach a breaking point. Recent legislation from Dover has made the First State less favorable for business, through various taxes, regulations, and other “bad business” bills.

These actions have been in the pursuit of a better standard of living for Delawareans, but could they be the ones at risk?

Delaware’s franchise tax, corporation income tax, and taxes on limited liability companies, limited partnerships, and general partnerships can add up to a big problem for businesses, who may owe more than one of these to the state. Add in a minimum wage increase and bottom lines come into question.

Unfortunately, the answer to this has been to replace workers with robots. McDonald’s has order stations, grocery stores feature self-checkouts, and a few Walmart stores in Delaware have brought in autonomous floor cleaners, or “Auto-C’s.” Technology has begun to replace what has become an expensive workforce.

Businesses are not in the wrong to take these actions—in fact, they are doing what is best for business, and therefore best for the employees they are able to retain, as well as the communities they serve. However, it does result in minimum and low-wage workers facing layoffs as companies seek to protect their own operations against the assault from our legislators.

At the end of the day, the decisions from Dover have hurt the people they were intended to help.