Posted on 03/20/2026 11:24:05 AM PDT by Olog-hai
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul became the latest blue-state leader to lament the flight of wealthy tax-paying residents to Republican-led tax havens like Florida, Alaska, Wyoming and Tennessee, calling millionaires who stayed in the Empire State to fund its massive social services net “patriotic.”
With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declaring his jurisdiction a “free state” for transplants wishing to leave liberal policies and taxation behind, blue states like New York, Illinois and California are squeezing and at times pursuing natives who emigrate to financially greener pastures — while at the same time, some governors are blasting conservative voters as inauthentic neighbors and driving them out in the first place.
Fox News Digital took a look back at taxing authorities and top officials in blue states that have pursued or criticized the very people they are trying to retain for taxation purposes — and those who aren’t simply urging them to return are finding ways to force continued collection. […]
Revenue agencies in states like New York have established multitiered tests to enforce residency liabilities for people who split their time between or try to claim other states as their primary home.
In Albany’s lengthy guide to determining whether a taxpayer must consider themselves a New Yorker, a five-part review includes what some attorneys have called the “Teddy Bear Test” — in that it all depends on where you lay your head at night. […]
While California does not have an explicit “Exit Tax,” the term is thrown around to describe the complex hierarchy of levies and policies Sacramento enforces on people who leave or now only spend part of their year in the state. …
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Pull the cord for a complete burnout when you leave. C4 and no forwarding address. Go Galt. It’s none of their business where you are after leaving your real property. Shopping cart in a homeless camp, or under an overpass in Oklahoma, it’s none of their business.
Posted on 3/18/2026, 11:03:12 AM by MtnClimber
It's illegal. To preclude said 'pursuit' is but one reason for the Commerce Clause prohibiting interstate taxation.
Recent YouTube on this. From 2020-2024 ~900 companies have left NY. NOt gone out of business, LEFT.
That took away ~$24B in tax income. Not company income that could be taxed — the actual tax $$ that would have gone to NY.
NYC lost ~$2b.
Just imagine the massive unemployment that will result from so many companies leaving. Not the companies, themselves, the support companies: Starbucks, catering, stores, etc. The impact can be like when Detroit ran off all of its automaker employees.
After leaving California 17 years ago I was getting tax claims on income I didn’t make there. This lasted at least 3-4 years.
She's grasping for straws. Only a fool would fall for that kind of manipulation, and people with that kind of wealth are not fools.
The fools are the leftist politicians and their supporters.
It is futile for these quasi socialist states to chase their former residents. The real damage is that given the high taxes , endless restrictive regulations and the open hostility to capitalism, what rational investor given the opportunity elsewhere, will invest hard earned money to build housing or businesses ? When new investment evaporates, the economy withers and poverty worsens. Historically this happens whereever socialist principles are implemented.
The blue state model of government is collapsing. The fat state bureaucracy, public unions, countless parasitic NGOs, generous welfare benefits and hordes of patronage hacks to feed is unsustainable. An excellent election tactic for Republicans is to compare blue and red state “affordability”. Red states win hands down.
Who’s fleeing to Alaska?!
An additional tax increase for any leftist they funded while in New York. Make no mistake, these wealthy elites are termites.
Got a buddy who just got a tax notice from NY.
It seems that the company he went to work for in New Mexico opened a branch in New York. He left New York about 10 years ago and the company opened the new branch 2 years ago.
Somehow New York now thinks that he owes income taxes for the past two years. He has not once traveled to New York for business, but did go back there to visit family for Christmas in 2024. They seem to be asking him to prove he didn’t/doesn’t do business there.
Blood sucking leeches.
” calling millionaires who stayed in the Empire State to fund its massive social services net “patriotic.” “
The problem is that the “social services’ consists of government officials and their buddies stealing the taxpayer money and keeping it for themselves. The “social services” do not exist.
HOCHUL NEEDS TO SOBER UP
Wonder what the Blue states budget will look like after everyone is on welfare after chasing wealthy residents fleeing to red havens?.
I LEFT IN 2004.
GOT MULTIPLE YEARS OF “VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS” & DRIVER’S LICENSE RENEWALS.
NEE STATE HAD RETURNED ALL VEHICLE PLATES TO CALIF.
NOTHING WAS “FORWARDED FROM OLD ADDRESS”-— ALL DEMANDS CAME TO CURRENT ADDRESS.
SAME HAPPENED TO NEIGHBORS WHO MOVED 5 MONTHS PRIOR TO ME.
Seems to me if she wants solicit rich people to move to New York with their businesses, she should start with Minneapolis’ Somalian millionaires
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.