What would be REALLY new is if people understood how little the top income tax rates matter because almost nobody pays them. Income tax rates only apply to salaries. Wealthy people get almost all their income from capital gains - i.e. buying and selling stocks and other investment items. Capital gains tax has always been much lower than income tax, currently I think 10-15% depending on how long the item is held before being sold. Raising top income tax rates back above 90% would not “tax the rich” or provide enough tax money to take any burden off the rest of us. It’s a silly PR slogan.
To ACTUALLY tax the rich we need to increase capital gains taxes. Or create new wealth taxes. Or even a ceiling on individual wealth. That last one would have the greatest effect, by limiting how much money any one person has available to influence politics - which really seems like the root of the whole problem. Secondly, abolish Citizens United, the congressional act that made corporations “people”, to stop corporate wealth from buying politicians.
The difficulty is how to get anything like this past the people whose power it would eliminate. A good first step tho would be whenever you feel like you understand something because of some meme you saw, remind yourself that you don’t, and then stop scrolling and do some real reading on the subject.
I think rich people will have assets, like stock, and they’ll get a loan out with the stock as collateral. They pay like 2% on the loan, but they get like a million dollars cash. If that was treated like income, they’d pay a lot more taxes.
Not sure the best way to address this, but it should be addressed.
When you use unrealized gains as collateral for a loan, those gains have now become realized, and they are taxed.
Oh, did your stock valuations go up? Did you use that stock to take out a personal loan? You’ve realized those gains. Apply a progressive tax until those loans look more like minimum wage. Make it not worth it to invent value out of fractional reserves in order to bankroll oligarchy.
The fact that this is apparently not done now is the single biggest loophole in the whole system. This is what allows the “unlimited money glitch”.
Making it illegal to consider investments a form of collateral for a loan would be the first step. Prove you can repay based on your annual income or that there’s actual physical assets that can be seized or fuck off.
Make loans above a certain amount count as income. Exempt mortgages below a million dollars. The rich would just have to take out larger loans to offset the taxes. Force taxes to be paid at time of loan receipt. Like payroll taxes. Like everyone else they can get a tax refund if they overpay.
It’s 1000% possible, they just don’t want to do it.
Oh, not to worry. I’m not satisfied with taking a couple percent of them anymore. I have become way too radicalized by these leeches turning everything to shit. I won’t be sated without eating the rich at this point. They could willingly give up their wealth and I’d still call for blood for the harm they have caused.
I feel like short is already your tax rate. Long being like 13%.
I’d propose the top tax rates on income. Then tax short cg at that rate, 2-3% less for long (or some other scale designed to keep money stable in the market.)
But yes, convince everyone that needs done and the rich to ever let it get close to passing.
What would be REALLY new is if people understood how little the top income tax rates matter because almost nobody pays them. Income tax rates only apply to salaries. Wealthy people get almost all their income from capital gains - i.e. buying and selling stocks and other investment items. Capital gains tax has always been much lower than income tax, currently I think 10-15% depending on how long the item is held before being sold. Raising top income tax rates back above 90% would not “tax the rich” or provide enough tax money to take any burden off the rest of us. It’s a silly PR slogan.
To ACTUALLY tax the rich we need to increase capital gains taxes. Or create new wealth taxes. Or even a ceiling on individual wealth. That last one would have the greatest effect, by limiting how much money any one person has available to influence politics - which really seems like the root of the whole problem. Secondly, abolish Citizens United, the congressional act that made corporations “people”, to stop corporate wealth from buying politicians.
The difficulty is how to get anything like this past the people whose power it would eliminate. A good first step tho would be whenever you feel like you understand something because of some meme you saw, remind yourself that you don’t, and then stop scrolling and do some real reading on the subject.
There is truth here.
I think rich people will have assets, like stock, and they’ll get a loan out with the stock as collateral. They pay like 2% on the loan, but they get like a million dollars cash. If that was treated like income, they’d pay a lot more taxes.
Not sure the best way to address this, but it should be addressed.
Simple really
When you use unrealized gains as collateral for a loan, those gains have now become realized, and they are taxed.
Oh, did your stock valuations go up? Did you use that stock to take out a personal loan? You’ve realized those gains. Apply a progressive tax until those loans look more like minimum wage. Make it not worth it to invent value out of fractional reserves in order to bankroll oligarchy.
The fact that this is apparently not done now is the single biggest loophole in the whole system. This is what allows the “unlimited money glitch”.
Making it illegal to consider investments a form of collateral for a loan would be the first step. Prove you can repay based on your annual income or that there’s actual physical assets that can be seized or fuck off.
Make loans above a certain amount count as income. Exempt mortgages below a million dollars. The rich would just have to take out larger loans to offset the taxes. Force taxes to be paid at time of loan receipt. Like payroll taxes. Like everyone else they can get a tax refund if they overpay.
It’s 1000% possible, they just don’t want to do it.
Oh, not to worry. I’m not satisfied with taking a couple percent of them anymore. I have become way too radicalized by these leeches turning everything to shit. I won’t be sated without eating the rich at this point. They could willingly give up their wealth and I’d still call for blood for the harm they have caused.
So true. The ultra wealthy don’t “earn” anything on paper, so they literally don’t collect a paycheck like you or I do…
Quick question:
how much money would be worth if every person on earth ceased to exist?
Quick answer:
That would be a stupid idea with no value.
I feel like short is already your tax rate. Long being like 13%.
I’d propose the top tax rates on income. Then tax short cg at that rate, 2-3% less for long (or some other scale designed to keep money stable in the market.)
But yes, convince everyone that needs done and the rich to ever let it get close to passing.