NYC collects income tax on people who do not work there if their spouse works in NYC? (incomes)

[ottomobeale]

I was told this:

If a couple lives in NJ. One works in NYC and the other in NJ. Even if the one who works in NJ never even sets foot in NYC. They owe income tax to NYC on both their incomes?!?!?

Is this correct? This seems bizarre to me to owe tax to a city one never even sets foot in.

[juliann1977]

In a word, no.

[cleodog]

There used to be a NYC commuter tax--if you worked in NYC but lived outside NYC you paid a tax equal to .45% of the income you earned while in NYC. But they got rid of that during the '90s. And even then a spouse not working in NYC would not pay tax in NYC.

[Dolfan]

Only the income from the person who actually works in NYC would be taxed, although even this is ridiculous. My father worked in Manhattan for years and had to pay income tax in both NY and NJ.