A new poll found that nearly four in 10 voters in New York are considering moving to another state because of high taxes.
The survey, released this month by Zogby, found that 38.9% of voters are “considering” or have already “made plans” to move, up five points from the previous month. If just half do so, New York could lose millions of residents and enormous political influence, not to mention the tax revenue these taxpayers pay.
Notably, 36.7% say their main reason for wanting to move is that taxes are “too high,” a complaint cited by more people than any other. Even a quarter of “progressives,” 32% of “liberals,” and 38% of “moderates” cite high taxes as their biggest motivation for leaving New York.
On the other hand, 48% of those surveyed said that crime is the number one priority for the next government, compared to 43% who cited taxes.
26% of those earning less than $35,000 a year also cited excessively high taxes as their main motivation for leaving the state, as did 27% of those earning between $35,000 and $75,000, 41% of earning between $75,000 and $100,000 and 48% in the $100,000 to $150,000 range.
The second most cited reason for leaving New York is the desire to find a “better job or economic opportunity,” which is also related to the first: high taxes, so companies choose to take jobs away, reducing those opportunities.
That helps explain why New York so often suffers more unemployment than other places: In January, the national unemployment rate was 4%, but 5.3% in the state (and 7.6% in the city). ).
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