They’re fleeing (permanently) south to warmer, less-taxing climes like Florida and Arizona. A new study by the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota says thousands of residents are “moving to states with more competitive tax rates, costing state and local government hundreds of millions of lost tax revenue at a time of historic budget deficits.” Tom Steward reports at Watchdog.org:

“This study is the first of its kind that looks at where Minnesotans are going and what happens to state and local revenue when they vote with their feet and move to a state with lower taxes and higher temperatures,” said Annette Meeks, CEO of the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota. “While we can’t do much about the climate, the legislature must do something to make Minnesota a place where people believe they can find a better job, a higher quality of life and, importantly, a competitive tax rate to start or grow a business.”
From 2002–2009 Minnesota lost an estimated 54,113 residents to other states, according to the new report, Minnesota’s Out-Migration Compounds State Budget Woes. These out-migrants also take their incomes with them. Between 1995 and 2007, the total amount of income leaving the state was at least $3,698,692,000 on which state and local governments would have collected an estimated $423,317,000 in additional taxes.