This post was republished with permission from VigilantFox.com
Stephen A. Smith says he only took home ONE-THIRD of his annual income living in California.
His ESPN salary alone is $20,000,000 a year. That means the government took over $13,300,000 in taxes.
Stephen A. Smith says he only took home ONE-THIRD of his annual income living in California.
— The Vigilant Fox ? (@VigilantFox) August 31, 2026
His ESPN salary alone is $20,000,000 a year. That means the government took over $13,300,000 in taxes.
He now lives in Florida.
SMITH: "I can't stand high taxes. And if y'all think I'm… pic.twitter.com/EFJt9rnkSh
He now lives in Florida.
SMITH: “I can’t stand high taxes. And if y’all think I’m lying, federal income tax is nearly 40% for people in my range. And then on top of it all is an additional 13.6% in the state of California. And we ain’t even getting the LA city tax, and we ain’t getting the FICA, and Social Security and disability.”
“You walking home with less than 34% of your money messing around in California! I got a problem with that.”
“It’s similar in New York. I got a problem with that. So because of that, I speak out against liberal policies that come to take your money.”
Here is what the tax breakdown looks like on a $20,000,000 salary:
• Federal income tax (37% top rate): ~$7,360,000 • California income tax (13.3% top rate): ~$2,630,000 • California SDI payroll tax (1.2%, no cap): ~$240,000 • Medicare (2.35% for top earners): ~$470,000 • Social Security (capped): ~$11,000
TOTAL: Over $10,700,000 a year, before property taxes, sales taxes, and city business taxes.
Florida state income tax: $0.
That means Smith saves over $2,870,000 a year ($7,860 a day) on state income taxes alone. Sales tax is also 2.75% cheaper in Florida. No wonder he moved.
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