Opinion

Tax and run: How NY and California are bleeding people and prosperity

The progressive playbook of tax more, spend more and control prices has never produced affordability

By Chuck Flint Fox News

Published April 8, 2026 7:00am EDT

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The numbers don’t lie. The IRS’ latest migration data shows that between 2022 and 2023, New York and California posted a combined net loss of 373,309 people, taking with them $23.5 billion in adjusted gross income that both states no longer collect taxes on, verified directly from the IRS raw migration files. That’s not people on vacation. That’s the tax base, permanently reassigned. The CEO of the Partnership for New York City said it plainly: "The crowd that keeps daring businesses to leave should treat this as a flashing warning sign. When jobs go, revenue goes as well and the affordability problem gets worse." That’s cause and effect.

Wealth taxes sound great until reality hits. Taxes aimed at the ultra-wealthy always land on the backs of the middle class. Job creators leave. The ones that stay raise prices or cut jobs. Services shrink. Costs rise. That’s........

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