The problem is that they are all employing tax avoidance schemes. Corporations like Amazon will spin off their IP to a separate off-shore corporation. Then they’ll pay that corporation for the use of their IP. That reduces Amazon’s profit to near zero, meaning they’re not paying taxes. The off shore corporation doesn’t pay taxes either.
People like Bezos won’t take salaries, because they’re taxed. Instead they’ll take stock. Then they’ll take loans against that stock, so they don’t pay taxes. They just roll that loan into another loan and continue to live off of it, never paying taxes because they have no “income”.
So yes, their wealth should be taxed. Otherwise the richest among us pay next to nothing and yet benefit the most from what our taxes buy. If we weren’t adequately capturing taxes from the middle class, then sure, but that’s not the case.
Amazon does invest most of their profits back into the business, that is why they were operating with basically no profit. They still paid plenty of taxes though, like payroll taxes, that aren’t based on profit.
Then apply income tax or something on loans against stock over a certain amount, but I’m guessing that isn’t enough for you? I’m guessing like everyone else here the only solution is to tax them so much they aren’t a billionaire anymore, forcefully taking their company away from them in the process.
I know, it’s awful that people want rich people and rich corporations to pay their fair share of the tax burden. If they can’t pay their fair share and keep ungodly amounts of wealth, while people are homeless and children are starving, while shit, I guess they just shouldn’t have to pay taxes then. What if they had to sell some stock…ohh, the humanity! Will the horrors never cease! You sound like an absolute clown.
What is so bad about investing money back into yourself, it’s exactly what non profits are built around doing.
What is their fair share? Your rant to take away all their profits even if they make none? Stop job growth in the company by not allowing them to invest in new products or ideas?
Why should owners be forced to sell their business just because it’s successful? Why should we punish success? Stock isn’t just some made up currency, it’s literally proof of ownership in a company, it’s voting power, it’s not someone we should be forcing owners to give up.
I’m fine with stopping new tax exemptions, but the ones we already gave were just have to live with. It’s not right to ask for it all back.
Yes, it is reinvestment, new ideas aren’t free, they cost startup money, it costs money to develop new products and ideas, it’s literally reinvestment of profits back into the company.
