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Bye, Bye California
Townhall.com ^ | May 3, 2014 | John Ransom

Posted on 05/03/2014 4:30:41 AM PDT by Kaslin

Another blow was struck for competition, common sense and low taxes as Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it will be moving its campus in Torrance, California to a suburb outside of Dallas, Texas.

“Toyota Motor Corp. is moving substantial parts of its U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif., to suburban Dallas,” writes the Detroit News, “as the world’s largest automaker seeks savings from its U.S. sales unit, people familiar with the matter said.”

Although no figures are yet available, anecdotal evidence suggests that people are fleeing California, not just companies.

SFGate.com says that 66% of all state revenue now comes from personal income taxes, and that the top 1% paid 41% of all personal income taxes in 2011, while half of all adult Californians paid no income tax at all.

And that was before Proposition 30 passed, a measure that raised the top income tax rate in California to 13.3%, the highest in the nation.

That plays into part of the corporate moves. Imagine being able to give employees a pay increase between 8% and 13.3% by moving from California, to say, Texas.

Not coincidentally, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent a great deal of time advertising to Golden Staters the benefits of moving to Texas. Similarly, Indiana and Wisconsin have taken pains to try to recruit corporate relocation from high tax jurisdictions like neighboring Illinois.

Imagine how much happier Toyota salespeople will be, who after all, get paid more money if they sell more cars and now will be able to keep more.

Show me a unionized employee who got a pay increase of 8%-13.3% this past year.

To add to the injury of a tax increase, California also made the tax increase retroactive, which raises a whole bunch of constitutional concerns.

AdverseEvents founder Brian Overstreet told CBN News that he “has suddenly found himself owing an extra $250,000 because of this sudden move by the state to impose back taxes for the past five years.”

Ironically, California is sitting on one of the largest oil finds, with an estimated 400 billion barrels of oil, or about half of Saudi Arabia's conventional reserves. But instead of tapping that economic potential, the state is taking the lazy man's route out by making the millionaires pay.

So oil companies are leaving California in droves, as our colleague Erika Johnsen at HotAir pointed out in March.

Destination? You guessed it: Texas.

Four of the top six states in GDP growth between 2008 and 2012 are high-energy states. North Dakota, Texas, Alaska and Louisiana posted GDP growth between 8% and 35% in the five years through 2012.

Even Hollywood is fleeing the Golden State.

Despite attempts by California to use the millionaire tax to produce subsidies in order to keep film production on the West Coast, states and countries that are hungrier for the jobs films produce, temporary though they may be, are outbidding them, notes Variety, the bible for all things Hollywood.

California currently pays a 20% subsidy for production costs. Australia pays 30% subsidy for production costs.

While the correct subsidy number should be 0% to offset production costs, California's political reaction to this Hollywood holocaust is predictably foolish.

“Steve Dayan, who serves as vice chairman of the state film commission and secretary-treasurer of Local 399 of the Intl. Brotherhood of Teamsters,” writes Variety, “spoke at the Feb. 22 labor rally, promising his union would be willing to repeat its 1999 action of encircling the State Capitol in Sacramento with 200 Teamster trucks — a tactic used to campaign for incentives. ‘We are not going to let other states poach our jobs,’ he said, evoking loud applause from the 700-plus attendees.”

Yeah, keep fighting the last war.

Presumably, Dayan believes that they can just raise taxes on millionaires even higher or, better yet, Toyota Motor Corp. to subsidize the jobs that California can't compete for on the open market.

In other words, expect the exodus from California to continue.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; US: California
KEYWORDS: byebye; california; nancypelosi; plano; taxes; texas; torrance; toyota
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1 posted on 05/03/2014 4:30:41 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Hello, Texas!! GOODBYE, Cali!!


2 posted on 05/03/2014 4:35:18 AM PDT by 2harddrive
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To: Kaslin

“We’re not going to let other states poach our jobs.”

Well, maybe they can shut down the California border and prevent people from leaving.

Or, maybe require anyone leaving to forfeit all that he owns, or imprison anyone who takes “our” jobs to another state?

Just saying.

IMHO


3 posted on 05/03/2014 4:38:33 AM PDT by ripley
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To: Kaslin
SFGate.com says that 66% of all state revenue now comes from personal income taxes, and that the top 1% paid 41% of all personal income taxes in 2011, while half of all adult Californians paid no income tax at all.

Ah! This is what Utopia looks like. And Toyota wants to move their HQ to Dallas. That's craaaazy, man.

4 posted on 05/03/2014 4:40:04 AM PDT by VRW Conspirator ( 2+2 = V)
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To: Kaslin

In your eye Cali

tata

adios
sayonara
au revior
ciao
toodles


5 posted on 05/03/2014 4:42:59 AM PDT by yldstrk ( My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: Kaslin
Imagine being able to give employees a pay increase between 8% and 13.3% by moving from California, to say, Texas.!

now double that with lower cost of living in Texas

6 posted on 05/03/2014 4:45:07 AM PDT by Lockbox
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To: ripley
Well, maybe they can shut down the California border and prevent people from leaving.

Not sure if you know how profound this statement is.

7 posted on 05/03/2014 4:46:51 AM PDT by Former Proud Canadian
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To: Kaslin

Unfortunately they’ll vote Democrat when they arrive in Texas.


8 posted on 05/03/2014 4:53:28 AM PDT by Soul of the South (Yesterday is gone. Today will be what we make of it.)
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To: Kaslin
While I understand this is the natural progression of liberal policies, I will withhold my congrats to Texas until it's proved the Californians who are relocating there are leaving their liberal politics behind. Being a native Floridian, I'm very aware of the effects of liberal migration and my own subsequent migration to escape them.
9 posted on 05/03/2014 4:56:11 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: Kaslin

Now if they would ignore California’s vehicle emission requirements and produce more affordable efficient vehicles for the rest of us, we’d be even better off.


10 posted on 05/03/2014 4:56:21 AM PDT by MulberryDraw (Repeal it.)
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To: Soul of the South
Unfortunately they’ll vote Democrat when they arrive in Texas.

The Californication of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado is in full swing. The New Yorkification of Florida has been going on for decades as well.

11 posted on 05/03/2014 5:03:19 AM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Kaslin
And that was before Proposition 30 passed, a measure that raised the top income tax rate in California to 13.3%, the highest in the nation.

Gee, 13.3 % state tax plus the federal tax of 39 % = 42.3 % plus SS tax, Medicare tax...

You pay 50 % off the top...

Why in the world would anybody making 1 % money live in California ?

12 posted on 05/03/2014 5:04:18 AM PDT by Popman ("Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God" - Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Former Proud Canadian; ripley

>>Well, maybe they can shut down the California border and prevent people from leaving.
Not sure if you know how profound this statement is.<<

I left a little over 2 years ago. I miss a lot of things (L.A. was my birthplace), but there are still more things I am happy to be away from.

Since then, there has been talk in California about an Exit Tax.

Yes, seriesly.


13 posted on 05/03/2014 5:06:09 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (Fight Tapinophobia in all its forms! Do not submit to arduus privilege.)
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To: Soul of the South

yup, Virginia is now ruled by the beltway.


14 posted on 05/03/2014 5:07:21 AM PDT by VaRepublican (I would propagate taglines but I don't know how. But bloggers do.)
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To: liberalh8ter

There is a misconception that all of California is liberal.

Only the large cities and university towns are liberal. You get away from the coast and for the most part Californians are conservatives. Unfortunately the big cities with their big population dominate Sacramento.

Add to that the fact news outlets support liberal causes.

Californians have on many occasions via propositions support conservative causes. This has worked in the past, that is until recently when the left discovered they can find liberal judges to rule state Constitutional amendments supported by the people, to be unconstitutional. Since the Democrats control Sacramento, these over reach of power are never challenged.

So do not tar all Californians with the same brush. Remember FreeRepublic lives in California as well.


15 posted on 05/03/2014 5:12:16 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (I do not doubt that our climate changes. I only doubt that anything man does has any effect.)
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To: Popman

Check your math. Total tax is even worse than you indicate!


16 posted on 05/03/2014 5:14:18 AM PDT by mn-bush-man
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To: Kaslin

I saw the funniest ad yesterday while watching the news. The state of New York is advertising for businesses to move their business to New York for a fresh start. I looked up their taxes on business and there is a list as long as your arm. Are they kidding?


17 posted on 05/03/2014 5:16:24 AM PDT by kempster
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To: mn-bush-man
Check your math. Total tax is even worse than you indicate!

Doh' just finished my first cup of Joe...brain was in granny gear...

More like 55 % tax off the top...

18 posted on 05/03/2014 5:17:08 AM PDT by Popman ("Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God" - Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Kaslin

CA’s population actually grew last year. I suspect taxpayers leaving versus taxusers entering.


19 posted on 05/03/2014 5:19:30 AM PDT by umgud
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To: 2harddrive

“Hello, Texas!! GOODBYE, Cali!!”

Hello, Texas!! GOODBYE Taxes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“I don’t know why you say goodbye, I say hello o o, oh,o o o.”


20 posted on 05/03/2014 5:20:43 AM PDT by urbanpovertylawcenter (the law and poverty collide in an urban setting and sparks fly)
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