The Patriot Post® · Nearly a Quarter-Million Americans Abandon High-Tax Blue States

Blue states have taxpayers feeling the blues. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Americans are migrating to more tax-friendly environments. Americans for Tax Reform analyzed IRS data from 2013 and found that “Democrat-run states lost a net 226,763 taxpayers, bringing with them nearly $15.7 billion in adjusted gross income (AGI). That same year, states with Republican governors gained nearly 220,000 new taxpayers, who brought more than $14.1 billion in AGI with them. Only one-third of states with Democrat governors gained taxpayers, compared to three-fifths of states with Republican governors.” The big losers? From top to bottom: New York, Illinois, California, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The biggest winners, meanwhile, were Texas, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and Arizona. Keep in mind, that’s a fluctuation of nearly a quarter-million Americans who decided to abandon Democrat-controlled areas in just one year. And it makes sense, because it coincides with the Republican legislative wave at the state level over the last several elections. High-tax advocates like Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders should take note. “People move away from high tax states to low tax states,” says ATR president Grover Norquist. “Every tax refugee is sending a powerful message to politicians. They are voting with their feet. Leaders in Texas and Florida are listening. New York and California are not.” Whatever is happening at the federal level, make no mistake: Below the radar, conservatism is flourishing.