Earlier this year, the OECD observed there has been a significant increase in global wealth inequality over the last two decades. It also acknowledged that “taxation is a key instrument . . . that governments have at their...more
Have you ever wondered whether you were barking up the wrong tree? That the solution to a problem may be found, not in the approach to which you were already committed and invested, but in an altogether different direction?...more
Last Thursday, New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera, who represents the 33rd District (basically, the northwestern quadrant of The Bronx), proposed legislation that seeks to collect more taxes from the State’s high-income...more
Mayor Kenney Gives Budget Address- Today, Mayor Kenney will outline his vision for the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, which will officially kick off budget season. His proposal does not include tax increases, but it...more
Counting the Days?- We are 302 days away from the national mid-term elections, to be held November 8, 2022, yet the first full week of the new year has already highlighted some of the economic issues with which the...more
It Seemed Like a Good Idea- In July of this year, one of my partners, who chairs the board of a local grantmaking public charity, asked if I would present at a CLE program to be sponsored by the charity on October 28 (last...more
Tax the Rich? A few days ago, an opinion piece that appeared in the Wall Street Journal began as follows: “President Biden’s effort to pass the largest tax increase in U.S. history is based on the verifiably false...more
First Step- Last Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved that portion of the 2022 budget legislation with which it was tasked by the Congressional Budget resolution of August 24. The text of the bill...more
Living the Dream- “How was your weekend?” Thank you for asking. Awful. “Why?” you ask. (Humor me. Pretend you’re interested.) I’ll tell you. One word, with 535 syllables: Congress. When the reconciliation budget...more
Not Good- As Mr. Biden settled into the White House, and as the Democrats began planning how to best utilize their slim Congressional majority to enact and pay for their sweeping legislative agenda, the principal concern...more
In advance of the President’s address to Congress this evening, the White House this morning released a summary of Mr. Biden’s proposed changes to the Internal Revenue Code. These changes, together with his previously...more
New York’s Governor Cuomo is having a bad 2021. Some may attribute this to his hubris or to karma; others may point to an emboldened, and now veto-proof, progressive State Legislature; many will claim that Mr. Cuomo is paying...more
According to Justice Learned Hand, “Any one may so arrange his affairs that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which will best pay the Treasury; there is not even a patriotic duty to...more
Are the rich making enough of a contribution to society? Are they bearing their fair share of taxes? Many New York legislators don’t think so. Following the elections of November 2020, the State’s Democratic party secured...more