A new study out says Illinois has missed out on $26-billion in taxable revenue over the past decade and a half.

The Illinois Policy Institute’s study shows that Illinois lost more than 300,000 tax-paying households between 1995 and 2009.

Ted Dabrowski is with the policy institute and says it’s not just a matter of high taxes that caused people to leave the state, but they did play a role.

[audio:122011dabrowski1.mp3]A Word From Dabrowski[/audio]

Dabrowski even says the recent income tax hike might have been avoided if the 300,000 households hadn’t moved away.

[audio:122011dabrowski2.mp3]A Word From Dabrowski[/audio]

The number of people leaving the state has slowed in recent years, likely due to the Great Recession.