New York state ranked 44th amonth the 50 states in terms of policy environment in the 2005 Small Business Survival Index released by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. Raymond Keating, chief economist for the council, and the survey’s author told the “Westchester County Business Journal” that “politically, New York has a big-government philosophy, which leads to high income and property taxes. The costs of the state’s policies are real and obvious, but it appears the policymakers talk themselves into ignoring the consequences of the economic choices they make.” South Dakota, Nevada and Wyoming ranked at the top of the 2005 index, with the most small business friendly policy environment.