Senator Schumer plans to introduce legislation to raise taxes on private equity executives, hedge fund managers and a slew of other rich people. “My intent is to raise the most revenue and do it in a fair way,” Chuck said. “My bill will certainly raise the taxes on people who not get 15 percent for carried interest, for sure.” Though he did not share whether or not the individuals currently privy to paying only 15 percent on carried interest would have to pay 35 like normal people, he did suggest that the political wisdom that says you can’t raise taxes on the wealthy—which Schumer referred to as “old bugaboo”—is no longer valid.
In the past, Schumer’s been against any proposals that he felt unfairly singled out minorities (women, blacks, private-equity firms, hedge funds), by stripping them of their right to keep more of their money than other people. Now he claims to want to “treat everyone across the board,” and says he isn’t afraid to raise taxes on the rich in order to level the playing field. The only thing he may be afraid of is not getting an invite to Jim Chanos’s next 4th of July clambake, the last one at which he was heard saying “I’m still thinking about it,” re: taxation on HF managers and “I’ve never gotten why people would want to eat mussels. There’s too much work involved, too labor intensive. I don't want to be breaking a sweat while I’m eating."
Schumer Says He'll Sponsor Tax Rise on Fund Managers [Bloomberg]