Comment by xmprt

The letter of the law is the same for rich and poor people but the implications are very different. Neither rich nor poor people can steal or sleep under a bridge but rich people have money and homes so those laws essentially don't apply to them.

Likewise, tax laws are the same for rich and poor people but rich people can take advantage of more loopholes and ways to structure their income to make their effective tax rate much lower. Even just owning a house gives you access to a pretty big tax "loophole" in the ability to deduct interest on your mortgage.

The problem isn't that people are taking advantage of loopholes but rather that the loopholes were created and still exist.