The Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey provides annual information about the costs of operating a business in  307  cities across 9 western states. The Survey celebrates its 22nd year of publication and its 13th year since Kosmont Companies ventured with the Rose Institute of State & Local Government. 

The Rose Institute of State & Local Government is a public policy research center at Claremont McKenna College that has established itself as a national leader in state and local government research.

The Kosmont-Rose Survey was recently featured in the LABJ  article below.

Kosmont Survey Sees Relative Improvement
Montebello, CA

By HOWARD FINE

Friday, December 15, 2017

The L.A. area remains a costly place to do business thanks to government fees and taxes, but cities in other Western regions are catching up, according to an annual survey of business costs being released this week.

The survey from Manhattan Beach-based economic development consulting firm Kosmont Cos. and the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College classified 44 cities in L.A. County as "high cost" for business-related fees and taxes as of early 2017, down from 46 cities a year earlier.

Seven Los Angeles County cities made a list of the 20 most expensive cities within the survey's nine Western states -one less local city than last year.

The improvements for cities in L.A. County - from the point of view of expenses owing to taxes and fees - are relative and not indicative of a drop in costs here, according to Kosmont Cos. Chief Executive Larry Kosmont.

Rather, he said, cities from other California counties and in other states have raised taxes and fees, bringing them more in line with the L.A. area.

"This has more to do with the cost-comparison with other cities in the survey than moves these cities in Los Angeles County took on an absolute scale to reduce costs," Kosmont said. "We're seeing cities in California and other places pass increases in hotel taxes and utility taxes, and more and more sales tax hikes."

A prominent example: Denver was added to the list of the 20 most expensive cities in the Western U.S., pushing Pomona off the list.

The relative improvements among the L.A. County cities might be short-lived. Two voter-approved countywide sales tax increases that took effect this year after the survey was done - a half cent hike for transportation projects and a quarter-cent hike for homeless services - will likely change rankings in next year's survey.

"These sales tax hikes will ensure that L.A. County will be...



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