Pay Your God Damn Taxes
I have never written about this but it is something that drives me insane. I get it but I don’t get it.
There are countless wealthy individuals who own apartments and homes in NYC that they only use part-time. They do this on purpose because if they are out of the city for more than 184 days, they do not have to pay certain taxes. Essentially if you spend less than 184 days in NY State, then you will not be subject to pay personal income tax.
Many of these people live in Florida during their “off NYC season”. A place where taxes are nil but insanity and humidity is high. Why would anyone dictate their lives around those 180 days when they supposedly “love” NYC is beyond me. It is no different than many blue states and neighborhoods talking about more housing but not putting it in their neighborhood.
If you can afford a second home, you can afford to pay your taxes in areas you live. I am not a proponent of double-dipping but there has to be a better way. Shame on anyone who does this for being upset about the homeless, that their favorite restaurant doesn’t have enough staff or that the theater can’t stay open with a new play every night or the education system needs more, or that the subway system is a mess or anything else in our great city. Your tax dollars are not paying your fair share of just walking the streets at night. There is a reason that the chanting from the progressive party says “tax the rich”. This is a clear reason that many are angry at the wealthy. This behavior isn’t making any of us look good.
There are years where we have lived in NY State for less than 184 days but guess what, we pay taxes like a New York State resident should. We are happy to do that. Just noting that anyone that doesn’t pay their taxes does not deserve a 212 or possibly 917 area code either.
What can the next Governor or Mayor do about this? If you are in this town or state for any time period and you own a home, you should be pro-rata taxed on your personal income based on the time you are here. There has to be a better way and again, shame on all of you for saving whatever you are saving by not paying your fair share of NY State taxes. The city runs on tax dollars whether you like it or not.
About eight months ago I was on a Zoom call with a group of eight people. One of them is Chairing a new music hall in NYC. He was dialing for dollars. The truth is I did not realize that when I said I would take the call. I actually thought there were going to be 50 people on the call. The other donor (ends up I was the other one after the call ended) asked a question to the Chair if he should stay in NYC. It was after the pandemic had peaked and everyone was concerned about what the city would look like in its wake. The Chair answered NYC is going to be fine, are you thinking about changing your residency to Florida? Well, here is the thing about Florida, then you live in fucking Florida.
No disrespect here to Floridians. NYers love Florida but if you have an apartment in NYC, then pay your god damn taxes to NYC and stop playing the 180-day game.