Is Austin the next Silicon Valley? (Sparks, Reno: 2014, tax, live)

[ParaguaneroSwag]

To stay on topic, HP just announcers they’re moving their headquarters to Houston. But it will likely be a move like I mentioned above that will affect taxes more than employment. As we over estimate the actual impact of these moves.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by ParaguaneroSwag

To stay on topic, HP just announcers they’re moving their headquarters to Houston. But it will likely be a move like I mentioned above that will affect taxes more than employment. As we over estimate the actual impact of these moves.

HP already had a large presence in Houston anyway.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by texan2yankee

Your experience is different than Austin residents. You live in the suburbs for a reason.

Their total tax rates are comparable and sometimes even higher. Someone in the metro area can have a legit opinion on the city limits.

It would be like saying no one living in austin can have an opinion on Tesla since tesla is outside the city limits.

[ParaguaneroSwag]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

HP already had a large presence in Houston anyway.

That's my point. Most (but not all) of these companies moving from CA to TX are a mostly for tax reasons. Moves like this or CBRE, Charles Schwab, etc didn't have extremely large employment moves. This is why (as you mentioned) the GDP of California stays well on top despite these moves.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

I'm 100% on board with his response. You may have lived "in Austin" once but you don't live here now. It's like me giving advice on Williamson county because I "used" to live in Williamson county in 2015. You get all the perks of living in Austin without paying any of our taxes. You do have the right to provide input on the general feel of the Austin area, but your comments about living in Austin are not valid. It's like me saying, in the San Antonio forum that "You can definitely bet on X area as being a great fit." I could be on the right track but things have changed.

My parents pay 2.5% in leander and I pay 2.25% in austin. He is paying for different things, but the tax rates are comparable.

Many of our issues spill over and impact the suburbs (for good and bad)

[Need4Camaro]

FWIW I also pay the same sales tax for Cap Metro Rail in Leander and only receive 1/4th of the service Austin receives.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by texan2yankee

austin taxes, problems, costs? no.

austin wanna-be? yes.

You don't have to live in Austin to make comments about austin taxes, problems, and costs. "Austin" at this point means the entire MSA. And commenting doesn't make you an "Austin wannabe" either...

As Austin97 says, a lot of what happens in Austin spills into the surrounding areas, good and bad. N4C works in tech and is familiar with the industry as a whole, so again he can comment.

It's no different than the people here who like to chime in about the suburbs without living in the suburbs.

And for what it's worth, I notice that the big companies are relocating to cities that AREN'T run by Republicans....that's probably by design too.

[Austinite101]

People like to try to find anything political on this forum, something I used to do when I joined this forum as a teenager. But cause and effect isn't just this evil political party vs the other.

At the end of the day, most companies like HP that make a move to another state for any reason (taxes included) end up in another relatively wealthy metro area anyways. If you pretend state boundaries didn't exist, you're really just pushing around jobs from one rich metro to the other.

[Swizzle Stick]

Originally Posted by Austinite101

If you pretend state boundaries didn't exist

Why would you pretend a state's boundary didn't exist? They do exist, and there are huge ramifications because of it. Small factors tip the scales in HUGE ways. Just look at Tesla, and how they moved a $5,000,000,000 factory across the state border to NV because of CA's tax code. Which side of a states' boundary you live and work on, has huge ramifications.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Swizzle Stick

Why would you pretend a state's boundary didn't exist? They do exist, and there are huge ramifications because of it. Small factors tip the scales in HUGE ways. Just look at Tesla, and how they moved a $5,000,000,000 factory across the state border to NV because of CA's tax code. Which side of a states' boundary you live and work on, has huge ramifications.

FWIW Elon Musk’s issue in that specific scuffle was mostly with Alemeda County, The state had already reopened and permitted businesses to operate except Alemeda Co whom also defied state orders to allow reopenings. Although he had been touting about leaving California plenty of times in the past, I think this was more like the spark he needed to initiate it. It would be illogical to move from one part of the state to another part where the same thing may happen again so there is that but Elon had plans of building plants outside of California for a considerable period of time, but I don’t think he had plans of moving headquarters so abruptly, although that likely would have happened anyway though once he had more presence and establishment... It just wouldn’t have happened right this moment.

I agree that state boundaries play a huge role. I think what some are trying to convey is, the businesses who are moving, likely would have moved anyway given they have operations in these states already and can operate on lower taxes. Much like HP.