Disgusted ex-Microsoft executive says he's moving his new startup from Washington to deep red Idaho because woke state's punishing taxes on businesses

By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:04, 28 May 2026 | Updated: 17:05, 28 May 2026 A former Microsoft executive slammed Washington's punishing tax policies as he revealed plans to uproot his new venture to Idaho.  Entrepreneur Ben Rudolph, 50, announced this week he is abandoning the Democrat-run state where he built his career due to sky-high taxes, moving his start-up Cartografiq elsewhere. Rudolph said he wanted to escape Washington's 'hostile' attitude toward business, and chose Idaho for its more welcoming tax codes.  'The biggest thing for us is the gross receipts, the B&O tax, which in Washington state is tax on gross receipts - all of your revenues brought in - whereas in Idaho, it’s taxed on net profit,' he told The Jason Rantz Show.  Rudolph said the tax policies in Idaho - which is run by Republicans - would be 'a huge thing for us.' 'You also run into some new laws that have hit our type of business,' he added. 'They’re written very poorly, and they’re written in a very kind of murky opaque way, where it’s really difficult to understand what you actually have to charge tax on, then of course you’re charging your customers more, because now you have to apply sales tax to something, in some cases, which are certainly non-trivial investments.  'And that impacts budgets, and that impacts our ability to do work.'  It comes as Seattle's socialist Mayor Katie Wilson has also faced criticism for her anti-business approach since taking office, including a controversial remark where she waved and laughed 'bye' when asked about corporations fleeing her city.  Entrepreneur Ben Rudolph, a former Microsoft executive and founder of Cartografiq, slammed Washington's punishing tax policies as he said he is uprooting his new venture to Idaho Critics have condemned Washington's far-left policies introducing tax hikes on businesses, which have led several major corporations to leave. Pictured: Seattle's iconic Space Needle blighted by tent encampments when the Daily Mail visited earlier this year Since taking office in January, Wilson has introduced a Business and Occupation (B&O) tax hike alongside a Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy, which raised taxes on business and properties to fill a $488 million budget deficit.  Far-left tax policies have sparked widespread concern among Washington's businesses, with a survey earlier this year from the Association of Washington Business finding 24 percent of the state's employers are considering leaving.   Rudolph did not cite Wilson by name, but said tax policies in Washington state have spiraled out of control and directly impacted his consumers.  He continued in his radio appearance: 'All these things together make it harder for us to acquire work and generate revenue off that work, and then we are penalized. 'With this kind of gross fee and overseas tax, that makes it more difficult for us to generate profit, which means I can’t hire as many people,' he said.  'I can’t spend as much on goods and services, and it just kind of depresses the entire economic value of the business system and climate in which we’ve been forced to operate.'  Rudolph, who left Microsoft in 2023 to launch his own venture, said he has had enough of politicians' anti-business approach in Washington.  Last month, Wilson sparked controversy when she was asked about the impact her high-tax, far-left economic policies could have on Seattle's tax base, saying she thought fears that millionaires would flee are 'overblown.' 'And to the ones that leave? Like, bye,' she added with a wave. It comes amid criticism of Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's approach to business, which has included supporting strikes on Starbucks and waving 'bye' when questioned about millionaires fleeing  Rudolph is not alone with his criticisms, as Starbucks founder Howard Schultz also slammed far-left policies for driving businesses out of Washington and destroying its long history of entrepreneurship Rudolph said he is not alone in feeling that he needs to escape Washington to see his business thrive, saying that 'the sentiment is growing and simmering.'  'The general sentiment of people who run small businesses is starting to become the same, which is that if you’re running a business that is trying to grow and you want to hire great people and you want to deal with the cost of living that’s happening in Washington state, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do so,' he said.  Rudolph is joined in his criticisms by Starbucks tycoon Howard Schultz, who recently shared an op-ed in the Washington Post accusing Wilson of 'fracturing' Seattle's long history of entrepreneurship.  Starbucks announced plans earlier this year to move much of its business base to Tennessee due to more favorable tax codes, which Rudolph said was just one example of Washington state's declining business culture.  'Look at all the amazing companies that were founded in Washington - Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Starbucks,' he said.  'Who’s going to be able to start the next Microsoft or the next Amazon or the next Boeing or the next Starbucks in Washington state versus somewhere else, if the climate is set up where their growth and their success is not being championed by the state but is being penalized.'  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.