New York's billionaire hedge fund managers have blazed the trail south in recent years with the likes of David Tepper, Paul Tudor Jones and Eddie Lampert all ditching the Empire State for Florida...a state which brings not only pristine beaches and year-round golf weather but also the added benefit of a 0% personal income tax rate.
Last month, we reported that wealthy homeowners in one of America’s prototypical enclaves of wealth and privilege have begun to pull their stately mansions from the market as demand for high-end properties in Greenwich, Conn. Has plunged in recent years.
Despite sellers slashing prices, so far, only three Greenwich homes have sold for more than $10 million. In response, new listings have dropped 31% as sellers opt to wait out the gully in hopes of securing a higher price.
Four months after the beginning of the fiscal year, Connecticut has become the last state in the US to pass a budget after Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bipartisan budget bill, but used his line-item veto power to block a section of the nearly 900-page document related to the controversial hospital tax.
Despite a series of credit-rating cuts by all three of the major ratings agencies earlier this year, Connecticut still boasts a higher rating than Illinois and New Jersey. But that could soon change.
Lawmakers are squabbling over how to close a massive deficit expected to stretch to $3.5 billion over the next two years, which has left Connecticut as the only state in the US without a budget for the current fiscal year. And if lawmakers fail to pass a budget by the end of the month, it could trigger further cutbacks and in essential services.
Connecticut Governor Daniel Malloy is among the country’s least popular governors after forcing through two tax hikes that sent individuals and corporations fleeing from the state. Luckily for the state and its people, Malloy apparently has no interest in sticking around to take the heat when it comes time for the next hike: He has announced that he will not seek a third term.