Millions are fleeing high-tax blue states

The fact that greedy rich folks would rather move than use their fortune (meaning luck) to help the lives of unfortunate Americans is not the unique story you think it is.

Great idea, where in CA, is helping unfortunate lives happening?

Lumpers always whine about the poor, but the objective truth in CA is the money is going to lawyers, corporations and friends of the Democrat machine.
Which is why CA is looking at $148Billion dollars in Medicare fraud.

Could you help unfortunate lives with $148Billion? No you can't. Democrats ------ the duck in CA, it could be a progressive dream instead, its all been grifted and grafted.

"moving out of high-tax states into areas where taxes, and often overall living costs, are lower."

Has nothing to do with that.

People here started moving when they realized every dollar sent to Sacramento was going to some boondoggle to support their friends in the Government.
Then the SEIU throws out the "lets tax billionaires unearned income" ... well people can see the writing on the wall, eventually it will come for them.

Its a beautiful State, living off the fumes of the 50-80s, Hollywood's is now distributed, Silicon Valley is distributed. If this is the progressive dream of a state, then why hire a PR firm to fix its image? What I have a hard time understanding is, Hollywood is doing terrible, why would the State hire a PR firm in NYC? Seems sort of looney.

Not to mention their generally lower quality of life and health and education outcomes.

CA is competing with Alabama for educational outcomes.

Here's

California's population grew 0.4% in the last decade.

The number of state employees grew 24.5%.

Total state spending grew 48%, inflation adjusted.

You have to ask - where did all the money go?

Metrics?
#14 | POSTED BY DOC_SARVIS

Surprised you're so out of touch with America's education system, not that facts will change your mind.

nces.ed.gov

There are pockets of high quality education, housing, and healthcare in those red states. Folks will find them.
#16 | POSTED BY EBERLY

Just like in CA, parents with means will send their kids to Catholic or private schools.

The article points more to affordability than taxes as the primary driver of the decision to move.

It makes no sense that people with homes would leave. That is the largest affordability issue. Sure prices for groceries and gas have gone up and for lots of people they have made cutbacks. I just think people are sick of seeing the tax money not going to good use.

But the State/County collects taxes for just about everything. County parks, State parks, Boats, Planes, Gas, Bridge tolls.

My business license that my daughter uses to sell used toys/books from home has a "work from home fee" of $256, $800 just to have a corporation. But these aren't new.

Here;s a typical bill in CA for support building new homes ... I have seen this in SFO as well.

Starts out all great..

Governor Newsom signs into law groundbreaking reforms to build more housing, boost affordability
www.gov.ca.gov

Turns out a VMT Fee can be imposed on every Unit. What is a A Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax, also known as a mileage-based user fee or road usage charge, is a fee drivers pay based on the number of miles they drive, rather than the amount of gasoline they consume. It is proposed to replace or supplement shrinking gas tax revenues, as electric and fuel-efficient vehicles pay less in traditional fuel taxes

Seems reasonable right ... but then the Democrats in Sacramento tack on a VMT fee on all new housing?

The provision, Section 58 in AB 130, would allow local agencies to impose Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) fees that operate like hidden taxes on new housing across the state. The de facto taxes could potentially add $16,000 per unit/year and would likely be passed on to homebuyers and renters. So $1,350 per month for 20 years for every new single-family home or $320000+ over the twenty years.
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov

The other thing you might note about AB130 is how long it is, imagine the lawyers a developer needs to understand and navigate just this bill. That alone is overhead tacked onto every house built.

But this is typical YIMBY in CA, everyone gets their two cents (DEI, Environment etc etc) in the bill and it becomes impossible to build.

This is how you kill building new housing.