Is carried interest cooked?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-seek-end-carried-interest-184956595.html


Saw that Trump floated ending the ‘carried interest loophole’ in his initial tax proposals. How likely do we think this passes the house and senate? Republican representatives are likely to feel some lobbying heat if they take away the long term capital gains treatment of carry.

20 Comments
 

I think there's a good chance it passes. Most GOP Senators are not really beholden to Wall Street/PE money b/c they represent rural states. This was always a hard sell for Dems because a lot of their Senators are very close with PE (NJ/NY/CT+ Sinema in AZ for some reason, and Manchin doing Manchin things). Much likelier this passes under Trump than the half assed attempt under Biden IMO.

 
Most Helpful

Considering how many ultra right wing VC wackos like Andreessen voted for Trump, I hope they are happy with the bed they've made for themselves. 

Frankly, the vast majority of senior PE guys I spoke with ended up voting for Trump and in a way I am glad that this backfires in their face. 

 

Only Nixon could go to China. Only Trump could end carried interest. 

If he's behind it the rest of Republicans will fall in line. But how likely are they to pass any tax bill? House Republicans are masters in incompetence and they have a razor thin margin. I would not be shocked if there is no tax bill passed. 

 

StrategyJunkie:

I would be very surprised if this gets pushed through. It comes up every administration and then people realize there are bigger fish to fry. Plus, all the government officials line their pockets indirectly with the carry $ through donations from wall street, etc. 


This. It’s all a big club, Democrats and Republicans all beholden to the people they claim to represent their voters against. Attend an RNC or DNC and look up at the suites on the top floor - who do you think is renting them, on both sides?

 

100%. It's a classic political proposition that makes a nice headline but will achieve absolutely nothing in the long-term. Wall Street will always come up with new structures to circumvent regulations that prevent them from getting what they perceive to be compensatory returns in exchange for the risk they're taking. All the senior guys I know & talk about this stuff with have said they'd expected something like this to drop for the past 10+ years. 

"If you don't have any enemies in life you have never stood up for anything" - Winston Churchill | "It's a testament to the sheer belligerence of the profession that people would rather argue about the 'risk-adjusted returns' of using inferior tooth cleaning methods." - kellycriterion
 

I believe fund managers can use options to mitigate income tax on carried interest, as options, if issued at the fund’s inception and held for over a year,will qualify for long-term capital gains treatment, avoiding higher ordinary income tax rates.

 

Most of the senior PE professionals I've spoken with about this expected that a tax change would come eventually. It's been a hot topic against wall street for so long. I think we all see the argument against capital gains treatment for carried interest, and don't expect many to see (or care about) the other viewpoint. 

So yes I think it's coming eventually. Unsure whether it will really happen under a Trump administration, but interesting that he raised it.  

 

Perferendis atque animi tempora qui aliquam esse non. Maxime esse voluptatum fugit assumenda. Sit dignissimos perspiciatis ut autem. A qui quibusdam velit dolor expedita nemo est. Iure voluptas quia quod ab.

Expedita vitae quia velit est ad nam voluptate. Ullam et earum incidunt. Nisi et architecto qui eum quis.

Eligendi minima laborum sit magni facilis enim aspernatur molestiae. Neque nesciunt quidem officiis ullam tempora. Et amet non totam et et quis.

Recusandae minus ipsum aut aut. Et iste eaque enim officiis non aperiam voluptatum. Autem distinctio animi mollitia deserunt. Similique quasi quia fuga id numquam. Soluta quo ratione voluptatem hic quia accusamus optio.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.2%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.2%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (97) $363
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (95) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (271) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (353) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”