February 14, 2007

Our newest featured column at right is Jim Copland's article from the December Chief Executive. It begins:

At the turn of the 20th century, most American companies were incorporated in the state of New Jersey. Today, of course, public companies are typically chartered in Delaware.

How did New Jersey lose the valuable corporate charter business to its southern neighbor? As New Jersey's governor, Woodrow Wilson led a crusade to "trust bust" big businesses through the state's unique position as the incorporation state of choice. Predictably, however, businesses chafed at the new restrictions and moved to Delaware, which had incorporation laws identical to New Jersey's old regime. Today, Delaware's low taxes are due in part to Wilson's folly; the state earns over 40 percent of its general revenues from incorporation fees.

This history lesson is apropos today, as the U.S. appears to be losing its long-established grip on the market for publicly traded securities.