by Ted Tripp
Political Reporter
Using newly released IRS data from 2013, Americans for Tax Reform has shown that taxpayers are fleeing states that have high taxes and relocating to states with lower taxes. ATR President Grover Norquist says, “They [taxpayers] are voting with their feet. Leaders in Texas and Florida are listening. New York and California are not.”
In 2013, Democrat-run states lost a net 226,763 taxpayers, taking with them almost $15.7 billion in adjusted gross income (AGI). At the same time, Republican governors received nearly 220,000 new taxpayers, bringing along more than $14.1 billion in AGI with them.
Only one-third of states with Democrat governors gained taxpayers whereas three-fifths of states with Republican governors added taxpayers.
The top five loser states for Democrat governors in 2013:
• New York (114,929 people with $5.7 billion in AGI)
• Illinois (68,943 people with $3.8 billion in AGI)
• California (47,458 people with $3.8 billion in AGI)
• Connecticut (14,453 people with $1.8 billion in AGI)
• Massachusetts (11,915 people with $1 billion in AGI)
So there you have it. We’re number five! I’m sure Governor Deval Patrick is disappointed that his years in office and hard work could not have moved us up to at least the fourth spot. Another billion leaving the state should not have been that hard to accomplish with all his willing friends in the Legislature. And I’m sure that he is disappointed that Martha Coakley was not able to carry on his race to the top.
Let’s hope that new Republican Governor Charlie Baker can turn things around and stop the bleeding. Massachusetts has a lot to offer and the right policies should make us an attractive state to live and work in.
For more information on the ATR analysis, see http://tinyurl.com/nhwwmtm.
