If a federal government raises the top end tax rates on individuals, and they are patriotic, would the flee their country in order to lower their taxes or stay in the country?  Same goes with there maybe being more regulations to conduct their business, like increased regulations over financial markets to prevent a financial meltdown.

I saw something on Tv a while back where Donald Trump was warning that he and other rich people might leave America if persoanl income taxes are raised for the top 2-5%. A true patriot wouldn't leave the country that allowed them to attain all their wealth. But a self-serving, calous zillionaire would do so in a heartbeat. I dunno which 1st world country they could find refuge in.

I wouldn't, and I'm not even patriot. Not much at least.

TheRealMafoo was/is going to. He was moving to New Zealand before he got permabanned. I wonder what happened in the end?

My dad was considering moving to Dubai at one point too, when the government brought in the 50% tax rate for high earners. But in the end he decided to stay.

There would have to be a serious amount of tax to make me leave the UK, maybe 90% plus.

As long as I pretty much agree with how the Government is spending (which I am with some exceptions such as the Iraq war), I see no problem with taxes.  I would fully support tax increases for the upper and middle classes, even if it results in less disposable income for me.

It is unpatriotic to not pay taxes

Probably not. If they did, it would probably have less to do with taxes simply going up and more to do with a government that's out of control and promoting class warfare.

I wouldn't say a patriot wouldn't leave their country if it got oppressive or taxes got so high, the person couldn't live.  I question here whether or not someone is a patriot if their thoughts are only about their own self-serving interest, and show no concern for what other services people get in their nation, and that the poor and needed are provided for to some extent.  Is a patriot only mindful of their own condition, or of others in their country to?

I also wanted to say that I am not saying we just raise taxes as a test of being patriotic.  I do think running deficits is not a sign of a nation really being patriotic at its heart.  How does one demand future generations pick up the tab for their spending today?

I do wonder how patriotic Mafoo is if Mafoo did bolt the United States over taxes, or regulation.  Same goes with Donald Trump or anyone else who would leave.  It would be amusing if Trump, who has been a repeated failure in real estate (although a success in marketing himself as a success), and others (say Paris Hilton) end up leaving the United States to avoid taxes, then go ahead and try to think of themselves as being patriots.