Left-wing policies to blame for mass exodus of New Jersey residents in 2023: expert

Posted 107 days ago

From WWW.FOXNEWS.COM

A new study has found that New Jersey lost more residents than any other state in 2023, something one expert pins on the state's liberal policies.

"High taxes were the primary driver behind New Jersey’s net outmigration," EJ Antoni, a research fellow and public finance economist at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

Antoni's comments come after a study by United Van Lines found that New Jersey once again took the top spot as the most moved-from state in 2023, the sixth consecutive year the state reached the grim milestone. According to the study, 65% of total moves happening in New Jersey in 2023 were out of the state, a number that bested second place Illinois by nearly four percentage points.

Rounding out the top five were North Dakota, New York, and Michigan, though Antoni believes it is no surprise that New Jersey took the top spot.

"That shouldn’t be surprising because people are fairly sensitive to tax rates when it comes to determining where to live and work," Antoni said. "This is becoming increasingly true in an age when more people do not need to be present in a central workplace, like an office building, but can work remotely instead."

"With that in mind, we would expect to see a state like New Jersey hemorrhaging people."

Antoni pointed out that New Jersey has the sixth-highest state and local tax burden as a share of income, as well as the third-highest tax collection per capita. Other factors include some of the nation's highest property taxes and the state's regulatory environment, realities that push up the cost of living for people who live in the state.

"The Garden State also has the worst business tax climate," Antoni argued.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N. J., who in 2020 switched political parties over disagreements with Democrats, pinned much of the blame for the state's issues on Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.

"Under Governor Murphy's administration, New Jersey, despite its beautiful shorelines, pinelands, mountains, and farmlands, is witnessing a mass exodus," Van Drew told Fox News Digital. "The governor's decision to declare New Jersey as a sanctuary state, prioritizing illegal immigrants over hardworking New Jerseyans, is deeply concerning."... (Read more)








Latest News