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The results of the 2020 election could have a dramatic impact on the municipal bond market.
If Joe Biden wins the presidency and if the Democrats take control of the Senate, marginal tax rates for the wealthiest Americans could rise, increasing demand for munis, whose interest payments are exempt from federal income taxes and from state taxes for residents of the issuing state.
Under Biden's tax plan, individual taxpayers earning more than $400,000 annually would be taxed at 39.6%, up from 37% currently, and subject to an additional 12.4% Social Security tax on wages split equally with their employer. If they itemize deductions (which Biden's plan caps at 28%) and live in a high-tax state like California, their total tax burden would be close to 60%, providing them a tax-equivalent yield of 5.625% on a California muni yielding 2.25%.
"From a demand standing this election means a lot," said Dan Rabasco, head of municipal bonds at Mellon, who spoke at a recent election roundtable sponsored by BNY Mellon Investment Management.
A Democratic sweep could also help shore up the finances of state and local governments, which would support muni credits. Congress then would be more likely to pass an economic aid package that would provide billions of dollars for state and local governments, which has been a key sticking point in recent stimulus negotiations between Republicans and Democrats. Those talks have so far failed to develop a compromise plan. Moreover, If the pandemic worsens, as it's expected to, the financial needs of state and local governments will increase.
