Julian Robertson Wins, NYC Loses
Whether or not hedge fund billionaire Julian Robertson was a resident of New York City way back in 2000 may seem like a trivial question. Unless, that is, you work for the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance and you're arguing he did spend the majority of his time in NYC that year and you'd like to see him cough up the $27 million in city taxes he owes.
The dispute has now been settled in court. After Robertson accounted for his every waking minute in 2000, he managed to convince a judge that he spent slightly more than 180 days at his house on Long Island or traveling for business, so he won't have to write a check to the city for $26,792,341. (The city tax rate at the time was 3.78 percent; Robertson made $700 million in 2000.) That's too bad since New York City could have really used the cash. Then again, Robertson did rename the plaza at Lincoln Center in his wife's honor not too long ago and that cost him $25 million, so maybe we can call it a draw?
