NYC Exodus Fears Rekindled As State Moves To Hike Taxes On Wealthy

Andrew Cuomo At A Daily Coronavirus Briefing On March 26 2020.

The New York state legislature reached an agreement that could see tax hikes on the wealthiest residents, despite real estate business players warning the move will drive people from the region and slow its recovery.

If the budget bill passes, there will be an increase in income and corporate taxes to create another $4.3B annually, The New York Times reports.

Specifically, the proposal would mean the highest earners in New York City would be paying between 13.5% and 14.8% in state and city taxes. On a state level, new personal income tax brackets would be formulated, seeing those earning between $5M and $25M paying 10.3%, and those with an income of over $25M paying 10.9%, per the publication. Those making in excess of $1M will see their personal income tax rate go up to 9.65% from 8.25%.

The Democrats’ supermajority in the state legislature, and the political scandals surrounding Gov. Andrew Cuomo, meant real estate players were bracing themselves for what they consider unpalatable policy decisions.

Just last month, some 250 New York City business leaders — including multiple real estate players — signed a letter to Cuomo and Democratic leaders of the state legislature warning of the damage tax hikes could do.

“This is not about companies threatening to leave the state; this is simply about our people voting with their feet,” the group known as The Partnership for New York City wrote.

The Real Estate Board of New York also wrote to Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to warn that the proposed taxes increase the risk of “destabilizing” the economy.

The Partnership for New York City CEO Kathryn Wylde told Bisnow tax increases will make the city an unattractive place to live, and hurt the city overall.

“If this tax package goes through at the state, and Biden's proposed tax package goes through at the federal level, the combination is that the highest earners will be paying 60% of their income or more to the government,” she said. "And if they move to Florida, it's more like 40%."

She had argued the proposals were driven by left-wing advocates who are interested in redistributing wealth rather than solving a budget deficit. The tax raises, should they be enacted, will instill fear in the real estate community, whose members are worried that a progressive agenda that has been brewing for some time will now dominate the city's elections.

“We’ve seen a socialist insurgency in the Assembly and the Senate, and the impact it has had on the psyche of the average institutional politician has changed things,” Jay Martin, the executive director of the Community Housing Improvement Program, has previously told Bisnow. “You now have candidates that would be moderates that are now playing to this small group of voters.”

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

NYC Office Investor Warns It Could Go Under As Defaults Pile Up

How Addison, Texas, Upholds Its Regulatory Standards And Keeps Building Projects Moving Forward

Chetrit Group 'Being Dissolved' As Family Turmoil Spirals

State's High Court Allows $325M Boston Soccer Stadium Project To Proceed

'Quality Of Place': One Inland Empire City's Manual For Smart Growth

Century 21 Retail Redevelopment Advances With New Financing, Leases: The N.Y. Deal Sheet

Bally's Debt Obligations Raise Doubts Over Casino Operator's Future

Jackson Far Outraising Bottoms In CRE Donations In Georgia Governor's Race

Fort Worth Approves Incentive Deal For Drone Developer Mach Industries

Tax Break Fight Threatens Development In Housing-Starved Long Island

Vornado, Related's Google-Anchored Office Building Faces 'Imminent Default'

Pied-À-Terre Tax Won't Deter Buyers Long Term, Developers Say