Now that Elon has extracted a bunch of subsidies from California, he is moving on.
Which ones specifically? The only two I know of are: - The low/zero emission car rebate that Toyota and every other manufacturer has used. - The clean energy manufacturing tax write off that applies to over a hundred other companies. I don't think California has given Elon any significant subsidies. When Tesla asked states to compete on the Gigafactory, California lost to Nevada.
Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
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Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#392Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a huge reason that property values are cheaper in Texas. Either you pay high property tax rates on (relatively) cheaper property or you pay exorbitant rent to your landlord that just keeps escalating. There is very good evidence that property taxes are capitalized into property values. Land taxes in specific are fully capitalized (which is to say, they lower the price of the land, and the landlord can't pass…
A decade ago, I owned a 200k house in Austin while making a 6-figure salary in California-- I paid more in property taxes on the house in Austin than I did on income taxes on my income in California.
Assuming you made exactly 100k as a nice lowball you'd have owed $6947.92 in 2011 California income taxes. Harder to quickly find 2011 Austin property taxes but using todays rates without the homestead exemption you would have paid $4653 presuming you lived in Austin proper with Austin ISD taxes.
This is obvious a simplified calculation assuming basic W2 income and may very well not have applied to you, but for others reading it's nice to see some actual numbers.
Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#393Earlier quoted context omitted.
I feel for everyone as the prices are getting stupid everywhere.... BUTTTT I just looked on Redfin - I could buy a 3300 square foot house in Austin for under $900k with a huge pool and that was a 5 second search. No offense all you Austin folk, but you literally have no clue.
Taxes for that home in TX would be equivalent to a $1.8M+ home in CA, though (and raise every year with the market), so it's not as simple as comparison. The monthly mortgage payment for a $900k in Austin is probably comparable to a $1.2-1.3M home in CA.
No income tax, but property taxes are at least 2% of the assessed value, and sometimes 3. You'll see that on the Zillow listing.
Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#394California's tax regime is really backward. I suspect Tesla's departure is just the tip of the iceberg and that the repeal of the SALT deduction in 2017 really hastened this trend. High earners pay an effective tax rate of > 50%. They are partially picking up the slack from Prop 13, which artificially distorts the housing market by allowing longtime homeowners to pay property taxes based on decades-old assessed value…
> The exodus will only pick up steam unless policymakers get their act together. I used to live in California. There is no better state than California. If house price falls, I would buy another house in California.
Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#395When CEOs move, they often move their headquarters closer to where they live. Somehow Tesla managed to survive all the problems of California until shortly after Musk moved to Texas. Folks talking about the advantages and disadvantages of California vs Texas may be overthinking this.
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Elon-Musk-...
Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#396The official reason is because of housing: "To be clear we will be continuing to expand our activities in California," Musk said. "Our intention is to increase output from Fremont and Giga Nevada by 50%. If you go to our Fremont factory it's jammed." But, he added, "It's tough for people to afford houses, and people have to come in from far away....There's a limit to how big you can scale in the Bay Area." https://ww…
As someone who just bought a house in Austin this year, if the reason is "affordable housing", they're in for a world of hurt.
Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#397Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#398But then they'd have to make cars that understand ice and snow, and autopilot is much easier to sell if they can pretend freezing weather doesn't exist....
Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#399Earlier quoted context omitted.
I talked to several Tesla and former Tesla folks that will probably relocate because of this, and the say is that since Austin in less NIMBY than the Bay Area new housing will get built and prices will go down. It's a more complex bet than just "we move there because houses are affordable now".
It’s a no brainer, my company offered to let me move out of CA a few years ago. My utilities are 50% cheaper and more reliable, crime is lower, the air quality is better, and I bought a new construction with 10G Fiber Internet (You will never get this in California due to failing infrastructure). I miss is the arts, culture, and nightlife, but that was wiped out by government-enacted COVID restrictions so there are f…
Also I’m not sure the utilities are better in Texas. Cheaper, sure, but is that gas infrastructure winterized yet?
Re: Tesla’s headquarters will move to Austin
#400Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not even just the bay area but the whole coast. Look at prices in Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, or out east. They all easily top Austin. I think it's a good thing. Austin has a budding tech scene. Hopefully the political shitstorm there blows over so people actually want to live there.
>budding Literally Dell Computers is from Austin.