Back in October 2016, the "millionaire, billionaire, private jet owners" of America's elitist, liberal mega-cities (A.K.A. New York and San Francisco) celebrated the tax hikes that a Hillary Clinton presidency would have undoubtedly jammed down their throats proclaiming them to be a 'patriotic duty'. Unfortunately, now that Trump has given them exactly what they apparently wanted...an amazing opportunity to 'spread their wealth around"...they're suddenly feeling a lot less patriotic.
Of course, as we've noted numerous times, while most people across the country and across the income spectrum will benefit from the Republican tax reform package, the folks who stand to lose are those living in high-tax states with expensive real estate as their SALT, mortgage interest and property tax deductions will suddenly be capped. And, as Bloomberg points out today, that has a lot of Wall Street Traders in New York drowning their sorrows in expensive vodka and considering a move to Florida.
One trader, sipping a Bloody Mary on a morning flight to somewhere more tropical, said he’s going to stop registering as a Republican. En route, he sent more than a dozen text messages ripping the tax bill.
A pair of hedge fund managers said the tax bill is too tilted toward corporations, rather than individuals who should get more relief.
“My clients are hard-working young professionals on Wall Street. I don’t have a lot of good news for them,” said Douglas Boneparth, a financial adviser in lower Manhattan who counsels people throughout the industry. Most are coming to terms with it. “I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised by the economic reality.”
“This provides a clear incentive for financial advisers to go independent,” said Louis Diamond of Diamond Consultants. “We’re hearing from a lot of clients on this; it’s just another reason why it makes a ton of sense, economically, to become self-employed.”
Of course, as we pointed out recently (see: Here's An Interactive Map Of Which Housing Markets Get Hit The Most By The GOP Tax Bill), tax reform will likely be a double-whammy for wealthy bankers in New York and tech titans in San Francisco as their fancy McMansions may also take a pricing hit.
But, not everyone is furious. Afterall, there are still some tax goodies for New Yorkers such as a higher threshold for the alternative minimum tax, and a drop in the top marginal rate to 37% from 39.6%.
As an example, Mike Dean, a broker in New York for TP ICAP Plc, is keeping a positive attitude saying "It’s going to hurt, obviously" but he sees the higher taxes as tantamount to "making an investment in the future of the economy."
Still others are considering a move to lower-taxed states like Florida and Texas which, as Todd Morgan, chairman of Bel Air Investment Advisors in Los Angeles notes, sounds like a great idea right to the point that you realize that actually entails uprooting your entire family and starting a whole new life in a different part of the country...something that generally doesn't go over well with teenage kids..."If you’re already rich why would you move to another state and live a different life just to save some money on taxes? What are you going to do with the money? Buy more clothes? Eat more food?"