California's wealth tax proposal has triggered a catastrophic exodus of billionaires, with taxable wealth plummeting from over $2 trillion to under $1 trillion in weeks. These billionaires were happily paying 13% state income tax until this reckless bill spooked them into fleeing, and now the middle class will bear the burden of lost revenue forever. This follows the predictable pattern of every tax expansion — start with the rich, set a precedent, then expand to everyone else.
Billionaire flight is a manufactured myth contradicted by decades of research showing wealthy people rarely relocate over taxes. These tech moguls already dodge taxes through loopholes and tricks, so their departure costs California nothing while the companies generating actual revenue remain. The real exodus to worry about is working Californians crushed by costs, not tax-avoiding billionaires who built fortunes on public infrastructure they refuse to support.
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