The US Primaries And The Private Equity Industry

The US Primaries And The Private Equity Industry by Sebastien Canderleauthor of Private Equity’s Public Distress

What is it about American elections that helps revive the rant against private equity practices? As the primaries are underway, once again the generous tax treatment of PE fund managers’ income and the asset-stripping nature of some of their aggressive practices have received significant media coverage. Hillary Clinton has already vowed to close the carried interest loophole that allows PE professionals to pay less tax than middle-income earners. Even free-market advocate Donald Trump has suggested raising the tax rate applied to hedge fund and PE professionals’ carried interest. Had we hibernated for the last four years, we could be mistaken for thinking...