The threat that wealthy people will simply pull up stakes and move if their taxes are raised has often been deployed in an effort to prevent states from doing just that. However, a new paper (pdf) suggests that the threat has been greatly exaggerated.

The study, by University of Massachusetts economist Jeffrey Thompson, reviews several previous studies of state tax increases and concludes that the wealthy are not only as strongly influenced as anyone else by the pull of community ties and the costs of moving but often find it easier to stay put in the face of tax increases than lower-paid workers do. Wealthier citizens also frequently feel that it is worth paying higher taxes to obtain increased public services.

Thompson has recently emerged as a strong advocate for higher taxes on the wealthy as an alternative to slashing state budgets. An article he co-wrote with fellow economist Robert Pollin, which appeared in The Nation in March 2011, pointed out that state tax revenues fell by 13% between 2007 and 2009, far more than during other recent recessions, and that the resulting spending cutbacks had created a vicious cycle that further deepened the recession.

‘In general, raising taxes during a recession is […]