Political Memes

I didn’t see a question in your original comment but I can answer a bit.

A lot has been said about the proposal to tax unrealized gains. One of the issues is that this is how the super wealthy are able to keep their taxes low. A not insignificant amount of their wealth is tied up in the stock market. This sits as an unrealized gain(or loss) but, because of the large amount of their holdings, they can take out loans using it as collateral at near 0% interest. This loan is tax free, and reduces their tax burden at the same time. Closing this loophole for them is a big one. Why do you think the majority of the compensation C Suite executives are given is in stocks? It’s for this very reason.

Now the backlash on the proposal to tax unrealized gains is fair when you look at what is considered unrealized gains. With inflation, house values are generally always going up. That increase IS an unrealized gain. And don’t be mistaken, the fact that we accept 2% as a general year-over-year inflation number means that inflation is an accepted financial policy of the United States.

That’s why the proposal to tax unrealized gains starts at an already high number. I think it was in the $400,000 range, but I am not certain.

Piggy backing off of this, a lot of the super wealthy bury their money into real estate. The idea of increasing real estate taxes on purchases based on the amount of home(s) you have has been circling around. I like the idea.

Closing the loopholes surrounding Private Foundations that they start up is another. Here’s an article that best articulates what’s wrong with these. https://www.propublica.org/article/how-private-nonprofits-ultrawealthy-tax-deductions-museums-foundation-art

Finally, we need an IRS that is funded and staffed appropriately, and to actually ENFORCE the tax code.