Corporations are looking for more than a low income tax rate. The Boeing Co. drew the wrath of organized labor for deciding to build a manufacturing plant in South Carolina – where the corporate tax rate is 5 percent – rather than expanding its base in Washington state, which has no corporate income tax.

That decision was based on nonunion wages vs. union wages.

And consider this: A FOXBusiness article last spring reported: “Despite receiving tempting incentive offers from competing cities, vacuum manufacturer Oreck based its decision to move to Nashville from a New Orleans suburb in 2008 on talent, not tax breaks.

“‘First and foremost is the presence of good people. That’s by far the most important criteria,’ said Bill Fry, chairman of Oreck.”

“Good” people are well-educated and well-trained people.

Still, the business community would love to see Gov. Terry Branstad succeed in his effort to lower both commercial property taxes and corporate income taxes.

On the nationwide list of corporate income taxes, Iowa’s top bracket of 12 percent sticks out like a red flag. No other state pushes above Pennsylvania’s flat rate of 9.99 percent.

In the commercial property tax category, a 2010 national study of urban rates conducted by the Minnesota Taxpayers Association placed Des Moines third behind Detroit and Providence, R.I., with its burden of 3.773 percent.

We doubt that Gov. Branstad can attract many companies just by cutting taxes, but it’s a tool in the toolbox. More important, our existing business owners deserve lower rates. Historically, Iowa ranks in the middle of the pack on economic measures, and there’s no reason to break that pattern here.

A change would help our business community recharge. It wouldn’t make much of a dent in the governor’s promise of 200,000 new jobs, but it might add a few employees here and there.