For almost as long as its existence, New York has been known as one of the business capitals of the world.
Today, though, as many have surely taken notice, there is a harsh chill in the air — one a lot colder than the recent weather.
New York won’t keep its pre-eminent position in five to 10 years if those in charge don’t start waking up to realize that companies are more mobile than ever and will go where their and their employees’ interests are best served.
Yes, there is no place like NYC, and yes, essentially in the business world there’s New York and then there’s everywhere else. But businesses and people are still choosing to leave.
New York faces several problems. For one, it’s more expensive to do business here than just about anywhere else.
Take office space. New York’s average asking rent of more than $60 per square foot for office space in modest, “B-rated” buildings is extremely high. And rent can easily run to north of $100 per foot for the “A-rated” prime space that banks, software companies, financiers and law firms demand.
In contrast, Houston averages out at just over $21 per square foot and Dallas at a bit above $15. Heck, even California hotbeds San Francisco and San Jose ring in at $36 and $25 per square foot, respectively.
In addition, New York City has a very serious tax problem.
The higher taxes go, the more people leave. In fact, many have already fled our expensive, tax-laden city, and with the de Blasio mayoral administration’s anti-business attitude, even more are sure to leave.
A middle-class married couple working and living in New York City and making approximately $65,000 jointly will pay 6.45 percent to NY state and an additional 3.591 percent to the city — on top of what Uncle Sam gets.
The latest Census data show that Florida’s population is now almost as large as New York’s.
Florida has also become increasingly the new home of choice for private-equity and hedge funds. Florida has essentially become a zero-tax jurisdiction for many businesses and is growing because of that policy.