Here's what I think.
COULD the extra tax keep a player from coming to the Pats in favor of a lower taxed state? Sure that's possible, I guess. It probably would be A consideration. But a major one? I think not. A player considers the money of course, but players first and foremost want to WIN. Second they want to go where they will get plenty of playing time so they can get recognition and play in a "system" that can maximize their individual skills. THAT recognition is what allows them to get all the OTHER money that comes with a good NFL career.
As we start to get to an age where the minimum payment is getting close to $1MM/yr we are reaching the point were a 4 year stay at then end of team's bench SHOULD give a player a life time of financial security.,.. if they are smart with that $4-6MM
Now as to taxes in general. 1. EVERYONE hates to pay them, YET everyone wants most of the services that taxes provide. 2. Our "progressive" tax system, isn't at all fair. Upper income brackets have dropped from a top rate of 90% back in the 50's down to around 34% now, which is the LOWEST by far, of any industrialized nation and if you know a multimillionaire who actually pays 34% of their income in federal taxes they should fire their accountant because of VAST loopholes in current tax law allow for massive deductions to the wealthy simply because THEY are the ones writing the hundreds of pages of small print we never see that allow for the wealthy to often pay less than that 34%
Now usually I'd use Trump as an exemplar of a wealthy person who abused the tax system, but I don't want to go down that road. So I'll use a politician I respect and voted for who did it too. Mitt Romney back in 2011 when be published his return prior to his presidential run, it was noticed that HE paid just 14% of his income in taxes. What was even more shocking (and to his credit) left more money on the table that he COULD have deducted. It clearly showed there was something seriously wrong with our tax system when the guy getting $15/hr at the grocery store or the garage is paying around 24%.
So here's the thing. We are STILL the richest nation in the world and given the amount of wealth that is created every year, we SHOULD be able to afford everything we need as far as infrastructure, defense, education, etc IF we were willing to pay our "fair share" But NOT paying taxes has become the national pastime to EVERYONE's disadvantage (except the wealthiest 10%. who essentially write the tax codes to their benefit)
I think i recall it was in the mid 1880's when our nation had it's greatest DISPARITY in the gap between rich and poor in our nation's history. That disparity shrank until 1978 where it that disparity reached its lowest in US history. SINCE 1981 it has consistently grown year after year until our "middle class" has shrunk to almost nonexistence. Now fortunately, I won't live to see it, but if we keep on this path we will soon get to the point where we will get to a 2 class system of haves and have nots
Of course that assumes a global warming catastrophe doesn't wreck the world economy or Donald Trump's lies about the 2020 election (or ANY election he doesn't win) doesn't upend the BEDROCK of our democracy which is our belief in the fairness of our election system. Those LIES, as transparent as they were, made about 30% of Americans believe them DESPITE the evidence to the contrary, and severely has damaged our democracy. To the point, I believe, where we could very well be a one party nation within a couple of decades
People forget that back in 1932 Germany was the most educated and tolerant democracy in Europe. That year Hitler's Nazi party came to power with Hitler as essentially the VP. A year later the Hindenburg was dead and by 1935 democracy was dead in Germany. It can happen THAT quickly. and I'm sure that many in this country would welcome that kind of system....at least of a while.
Sorry that my thoughts on the MA tax situation has veered off the rails into another rant. But my rant is about as much about football as so many on this board lately, so I just want to have my say. Feel free to delete it, or mute it, or whatever we do these days, I won't be offended.