We wish Mayor Adams well in his billboard campaign welcoming to New York any persons who feel uncomfortable in Florida owing to the so-called “don’t say gay” legislation that has been signed by Governor DeSantis. One of the great things about New York is its welcoming spirit and its magnificent mosaic. Then again, too, we don’t know of a single New Yorker who fled to Florida for more sexual freedom.

No, if the Mayor wants to win back New Yorkers who expatriated themselves to Florida, our guess is that he’s going to have to address the reason they left, which is another three letter word ending in x — tax. Heavily-taxed New York lost nearly two percent of its population in the last census, the worst performance in the nation, the Tax Foundation reports, while Florida — a low-tax haven — was among the top gainers. 

The Tax Foundation — an advocate for lower levies — traces New York’s hemorrhaging of residents to the fact that it imposes the highest tax burden in the nation. It takes, via income, sales, and other taxes 14 percent of the state’s net product. Meanwhile Florida has one of the lowest burdens. While Florida has no income tax, New York’s top income tax rate is nearly 11 percent. Florida ranks 49th in the nation in its tax collections per resident. New York is seventh.

No wonder surveys show New Yorkers eyeing the exits. A new poll finds that 60 percent of New York City voters reckon that  they would “have a better future” somewhere else. Some 65 percent of New Yorkers age 49 or younger saw brighter prospects elsewhere. A March Zogby survey found 39 percent of New York state residents were looking to relocate to another state, with high taxes as the most commonly cited reason.

Those survey results, Albany’s Empire Center observes, “defy the notion,” put forward by Democrats, that New York’s weather is  compelling relocations. Barely eight percent cited climate as a reason to decamp. The center notes New York has already lost 1.5 million residents in the last decade — leading to a lost seat in the House of Representatives, incidentally — part of a population shift toward “low- and no-tax states.”

The Empire Center laments that nothing is being done by Democratic lawmakers to “stave off a tax-induced exodus.” Governor Hochul’s gesture — a property tax rebate — is dismissed by the center as a gimmick that doesn’t give residents reasons to stay here “because it doesn’t reduce property tax rates going forward.” While Mayor Adams’ proposed city budget holds the line on spending, it offers no tax relief.

Meanwhile, New York’s city council is calling for more spending, and education groups are pushing an increase in  property taxes across the state — “a sure way to hasten the exodus from the Empire State,” the Empire Center observes. Amid temporary surpluses fueled by federal Covid aid, these budget plans underscore the inability of New York’s Democratic lawmakers to move beyond the tax and spend mentality. 

Mayor Adams is brushing off the poll numbers showing city residents looking to leave, NBC New York reports. “They’ll be back,” Mr. Adams insists. We credit Mr. Adams for efforts to fight crime and to make the city more livable, which might stanch some of the flight. If he really wants to lure Floridians back here, though, let Hizzoner look to lower taxes — and remember that gay and transgender Americans suffer under high taxes, too.