Minimizing the Pain of Trump’s Tax Law. Because the tax changes are weighted against high-tax states like New York, some locals are moving to low-tax states and exploring other ways to keep their tax bills down.

The New York Times reports:

Longtime New Yorkers Joanne and Vince Intrieri left their 3,100-square-foot three-bedroom near the United Nations earlier this year, trading it in for a sunny three-bedroom condominium in Downtown Miami.

Ms. Intrieri, who has a construction and design firm that she is moving to Miami, and Mr. Intrieri, who owns VDA Capital Management, were not ready to retire. But they decided to move to the Florida coast to escape exorbitant taxes that they knew would be exacerbated by the Trump administration’s new tax law.

“My husband and I have been in New York City for more than 20 years, but we aren’t tied to an office anymore and our kids are older,” said Ms. Intrieri, 59. “Between the state and city taxes, plus about $50,000 in property taxes, it is a lot of money going out the door. Why do it?”

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as the legislation is known, was passed last year and will be applied to 2018 returns, which are due in April 2019. The law limits the deductions taxpayers can take on property taxes and state and local taxes (known as SALT deductions) up to $10,000 — a cap that many New Yorkers easily exceed. For the highest earners, New York state’s income tax rate is 8.82 percent and New York City’s rate is 3.876 percent. Nearly half of Manhattan’s taxpayers have taken SALT deductions in the past, and the average deduction has been over $60,000 a year.


The new legislation also limits the deductions that taxpayers can claim on interest for mortgages up to $750,000, down from the previous $1 million limit. Mortgages often surpass this cap in Manhattan, where the average sales price for a co-op or condominium was $2.09 million in the second quarter of this year, according to Douglas Elliman.

All told, more than 8 percent of New York State residents will face higher taxes for 2018, according to an analysis by the Tax Policy Center. For those with income in the top one percent, a much larger number — 29 percent — will see their income taxes rise.

An article worth your time.