(Washington)

This whole year it is has been assumed—almost as an unquestioned default—that taxes would rise under the Biden administration. For example, munis have surged in value on this expectation. However, that assumption seems to have gotten well ahead of itself as new developments suggest tax changes may be a way off yet. The big change is that the infrastructure package is coming up for a vote—potentially this week—and the deal which has materialized between the parties has no tax rises whatsoever in it. That means Biden’s plan to hitch tax rises to increased infrastructure expenditure have fallen through, at least for the time being.

FINSUM: So if this plan gets approved without any tax changes—which looks quite likely—it seems clear that clients will escape 2021 without any major changes to federal taxes (including long-term capital gains taxes). Therefore, any planning should take account of the fact that 2021 may be much more advantageous than 2022.