[Mr. Silverback]

It's the cost of living combined with the long winters that drives people elsewhere. If housing were cheaper, a lot of people I know would have stayed instead of moving to North Carolina.

Why do you think the cost of living is so high? Corporations don't pay taxes, they pass them on to the consumer. To some extent personal income taxes drive those prices up, too.

[HostileTerritory]

By cost of living, I meant specifically the cost of housing. Full stop.

Personal income tax rates in North Carolina and Georgia are HIGHER than they are in Massachusetts. We also pay no sales tax on clothing or food, and property taxes aren't bad, either--I pay .6% of the value. But that's if you can buy a home here, and most people can't.

[Man50D]

Why do you think the cost of living is so high? Corporations don't pay taxes, they pass them on to the consumer. To some extent personal income taxes drive those prices up, too.

Exactly, not to mention the embedded taxes that are applied at each stage of production (Value Added Taxes). Fortunately there is a bill before Congress Titled The Fair Tax Act, H.R.25 in the House and S.25 in the Senate, that will address the state tax issue Fair Tax FAQ #25 by lowering the state sales tax significantly while collecting the same amount of state sales tax if states conform to the Fair Tax. Fair Tax ping!

[pigdog]

In addition to the links posted in #51, it's helpful (and enlightening) to read the bill itself, HR25 .

A "flyspeck copy" of the bill (S25) is also in front of the Senate.