The survey of 923 wealthy individuals was commissioned by Lloyds TSB International Wealth in the first of a new series of reports about wealthy people’s attitudes to emigration.

High taxes are cited as one of the key reasons for wealthy people to consider a move overseas — some 35% of respondents said tax rates may prompt them to leave the UK. The only more common selections were the weather (44%) and crime and antisocial behavior (43%).

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Respondents also had more general concerns with life in the UK. 45% think people in the UK are worse off financially than people in other developed countries, compared to a meager 9% who think people in the UK are better off. A further 30% say the state of the UK economy has made the prospect of moving abroad more attractive to them.

"We are not expecting a mass exodus," said Nicholas Boys Smith, managing director of Lloyds TSB International Wealth, "but, regrettably, many wealthy people are dissatisfied with life in the UK and are considering leaving.

"Many high earners are concerned about what they perceive as the tax increases that followed the financial crisis. Despite good recent developments, there are still many countries around which high earners believe offer lower tax regimes and importantly, a higher quality of life.

As well as the introduction of the 50% tax band for people earning over GBP150,000, wealthy people have been impacted by the elimination of personal allowances, an increased national insurance employee rate and the forthcoming withdrawal of tax relief for people contributing over GBP50,000 annually to a pension.

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Nicholas Boys Smith added: "It is not our job to comment in any way on government policy or the UK tax system but it is a fact that (as our survey reveals) wealthy people remain concerned about the effect of fiscal austerity and high taxes on their finances. If this survey is correct we predict a rise in wealth people leaving the UK and taking their investments and bank accounts with them."