>> >Your argument is flawed in that it reduces the talent competition to just one factor: the tax rate.
> Tax rate and business environment is the only thing that can be changed by at will and perhaps make the rest happen.
But the factors that cannot be changed at will are still factors.
>>It ignores factors such as cost of living (which is, at least, equally important), and quality of life.
> Where Austria wins how? Don't cite average statistics: how is life in Austria better than the rest for someone earning ~€10k gross a month?
That's €5600 after taxes (not counting the 13th and 14th salary, which are regulated bonuses), according to the site you cited earlier. Deduct €1500 for a 75sqm penthouse apartment with terrace in a nice part of town (that's on the expensive side for 75sqm). That leaves you with a discretionary income of €4100/month, since health care etc. are already taken care of.
How much do you have to make in London to have that much discretionary income?
And that's just one factor. Other factors include, but are not limited to: safety (excellent for a city of almost 2m), cultural (art, music), culinary, incredible cleanliness, entertainment, access to healthcare, diversity (Vienna is considered a hub towards the east, and has historically been an international hub).
> Want really cheap living? Go to Bucharest, great internet is a bonus, also many local developers, 16% linear tax.
How much discretionary income does a good developer in Bucharest have?
> Want great quality of life? A waterfront property in Spain, Canarias, or even Bali, some guys work like that.
How safe is Bali? Do I have access to something equivalent to the Vienna Philharmonics, or say a smaller ensemble in the Imperial Palace there? How are the hospitals?
A location cannot be reduced to one or even a few dimensions. The Mercer Quality of Living Survey [1], which has consistenly ranked Vienna #1 in the past years, cites a total of 39 factors, for example.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercer_Quality_of_Living_Surve...