FINSUM + Magnifi: The Big Loophole to Biden’s Tax Plan is…
April 27, 2021
In its fourth-quarter earnings report, BofA stole public attention by cutting its 2020 corporate tax
rate to 5.8% from what would have been 21%. How in the world did it do so? The answer made
it the envy of Wall Street. It accomplished this by increasing the share of its investment in
environmental, social, and corporate governance. This move was met with jealousy from
smaller businesses as other Wall Street Giants such as Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and
JPMorgan also saved with ESG. The trillion-dollar ESG club plans to ramp up its investment in
upcoming years as part of portfolio pledges to net-zero emissions. These initiatives are good for
regulators, shareholders, activists, and the bottom line. Investors are looking to the future and
ESG will be a useful tool in limiting its tax bill with the New Administration.
FINSUM + Magnifi: This Sector is at Huge Risk from Biden’s Tax Plan
April 13, 2021
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen released bits of the Biden administration's Future Tax plan which is linked to the $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal. Titled “Made in America”, the plan eliminates many subsidies for fossil fuel companies and introduces a host of incentives for alternative energy. The treasury estimates that the fossil fuel measures will save $35 billion over the next decade. Such measures are the elimination of the drilling costs reduction, which on its own is estimated to generate $13 billion in the same decade. Additionally, the bill extends the investment tax credit for green energy and incentivizes sustainable aviation fuel. Finally, the bill raises the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.
FINSUM + Magnifi: Biden’s Planned Tax Hike Will Hit Clients Where it Hurts
April 1, 2021
One of Biden’s most important campaign promises was that he would not raise taxes on the middle
class, or more specifically those earning less than $400,000. However, there is a new Democratic
proposal circulating that would affect a wide range of Americans. The aim of the tax proposal
appears to be funding the new infrastructure bill by targeting “stepped up basis” in inheritance taxes as
a way to raise tax revenue. Right now, when inherited assets get transferred, their basis resets to
whatever the market value is at the time of inheritance. In this way, heirs only pay capital gains on the
increase in value that occurs while they hold the asset. Biden and his administration want to change
the rules in order to keep the basis in place from when the original buyer purchased the asset. This
change would not only affect the wealthy in a big way, but also the middle class, as the basis for many
assets would suddenly be very low, meaning large taxes would be due no matter the size of the estate
being transferred. A good example might be an inherited condo from a parent that was bought 30 years
ago and has appreciated from $100,000 at purchase to $600,000 now. Under the current system, a
middle class earner who inherited and decided to immediately sell the condo would pay almost no
taxes. However, under the new proposal, almost $100,000 in taxes would be due because basis would
be applied to the original purchase price.