What’s New

Ben duPont, Chris Kenny launch ‘non-partisan’ advocacy group

From The Delaware Business Times

Chris Kenny, president and CEO of The Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware, and Ben duPont, philanthropist and entrepreneur, today announced the formation of A Better Delaware, a “non-partisan grassroots organization” that will advocate for pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and greater transparency in government.

“I speak with employers and workers every day who share my concern about Delaware’s business climate and our competitiveness with other states,” said Kenny, who operates six ShopRite stores in the state.

Zoe Callaway, a recent graduate of the University of Delaware, will serve as executive director. She told Delaware Business Times that the advocacy group will focus on fighting regulations and high-tax policies, including new income tax brackets and the real estate transfer tax.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/local-leaders-launch-advocacy-group/

Delaware launches new ‘One Stop’ business registration site

From Delaware State News

DOVER — After about three years of collaborative multi-agency work and an approximately $1 million investment, the state launched Delaware One Stop — a website that pulls all the business registration, licensing and other obligations and resources into one place for companies looking to open their doors in the state.

Dana Rohrbough, the director of Government Information Center, says they’re still making tweaks to the site, which is in a soft-launch phase that started mid-August, as they receive user feedback. Ms. Rohrbough says the site is technically a full revamp and relaunch of an earlier “one-stop” resource from 2005.

Read more:

https://delawarestatenews.net/business/delaware-launches-new-one-stop-business-registration-site/

Robots show up in Delaware’s Walmarts

From Delaware State News

MILFORD — Over the past month, Delaware Walmart shoppers may have caught a rather surprising glimpse of a floor scrubbing machine driving itself up and down the aisles.

In July, the Camden, Milford and Middletown Walmart stores all got autonomous floor cleaners, or “Auto-C,” as they are known.

According to Walmart spokesman Ragan Dickens, these are just the most recent robots the retail giant has introduced in its stores in the state. Walmart began testing several types of robots in their stores across the country in 2018.

Read more:

https://delawarestatenews.net/business/robots-show-up-in-delawares-walmarts/

A proposed tax, just for one nonprofit: Behind the DE Turf bill

From Delaware Online

A new hotel tax in Kent County, if it gets final approval, would benefit the DE Turf athletic complex. Reporters Karl Baker and Sarah Gamard looked into this story with a series of articles.

Connections don’t mean conflict of interest, brothers say

Pushed by Dover Sen. Trey Paradee, the tax law that could inject nearly $1 million a year into DE Turf in Frederica has a notable beneficiary – a private development championed by Paradee’s brother. They both strongly object to any idea that this was intentional.

Read more:

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2019/08/22/behind-de-turf-bill-new-tax-just-one-nonprofit/2060073001/

Gov. Carney announces new Downtown Development District designations

From Delaware Business Times

Clayton, Delaware City, Middletown and New Castle on Monday were designated Downtown Development Districts, joining Dover, Georgetown, Harrington, Laurel, Milford, Seaford, Smyrna and Wilmington.

Private construction projects within these districts can receive rebates of up to 20 percent of their capital construction costs,from this year’s $8.5 million pool of state funding.

“The workforce of the future wants interesting places to live in and cool things to do,” Gov. John Carney said at a Aug 19 announcement ceremony in Delaware City, also calling the state program “one of the most successful” that he has known in his nearly 30 years in state and local government.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/downtown-development-districts-auguest-2019/

Viewpoint: Why Delaware’s economy will remain constrained

From Delaware Business Times

Editor’s Note: The authors participated in our first Delaware Dialogue, published in the July 23 issue, and offered to write the following on the state of Delaware’s economy.

Over the past 10 years, using the standard measures — e.g., output, employment, personal income, annual wages and median household income — the Delaware economy has been performing poorly. Even Delaware’s low unemployment rate, the 11th-lowest among the states, is due primarily to slow growth in the state’s labor force.

Will these slow times pass? After all, the Delaware economy has been hit with some major blows: the closing of two automobile plants, the downsizing of DuPont and AstraZeneca, and the impact of the 2008 Recession on the financial services industry.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/economycaesarrodneyview/

First State begins looking at sugary drink tax

From Delaware Public Media

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services is in the early stages of examining the possible effects of a statewide tax on sugary beverages.

Cities like Philadelphia, Seattle and Berkeley, California have passed soda taxes. Chicago passed and then repealed one.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association earlier this year issued a joint statement supporting a tax on sugary beverages, limiting marketing to children and financial incentives for choosing healthier options.

Read more:

https://www.delawarepublic.org/post/first-state-begins-looking-sugary-drink-tax

Proposed Dover lodging tax takes big step forward

From Delaware State News

DOVER — Dover Councilman Tanner Polce called it a “call to action and a full-court press.”

That’s after he learned the General Assembly had authorized legislation to allow Kent Levy Court to establish a tax on hotels and similar establishments — and to then direct that revenue to the DE Turf sports complex.

That bill, which passed on June 30, enables Kent County to place a tax of up to 3 percent on hotels, motels and tourist homes — including those in the city of Dover — with the proceeds designated for the Frederica-area sports complex.

Read more:

https://delawarestatenews.net/news/proposed-dover-lodging-tax-takes-big-step-forward/

Study: Delaware ranked 7th worst state to start a business

From Delaware Business Times

Is Delaware among the 10 worst states to start a business?

A new study from WalletHub ranked Delaware as the 7th worst state to launch a new enterprise. The personal finance website, which generates a near constant stream of economic rankings, compared 26 indicators across 50 states to determine the best place to launch and grow a business in the U.S.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/delaware-ranked-7th-worst-state-to-launch-a-business/