Montgomery County is not business friendly enough to compete with Northern Virginia for new businesses, a panel of industry leaders told the Montgomery County Council Tuesday. In particular, the county’s congested roadways, state and local regulations and tax rates that are higher than Virginia’s all stand between the county and job growth, said the Montgomery Business Development Corporation board members, who are all business leaders in the county.

“Montgomery County has real job losses, even while other jurisdictions around us have grown the number of jobs,” said Montgomery Business Development Corporation Vice Chair Deborah Harrison, pointing to Fairfax and Howard counties. Those job losses mean less tax revenue.