Comment by mbgerring

3 hours ago

If you are wealthy enough, you can live off of untaxed loans from your “unrealized” gains, and never pay taxes on that money at any rate. Meanwhile, I am paying an effective tax rate of around 35%.

The principle is simple: if you are spending the money, your gains are realized, and you should pay taxes.

Loans against unrealized gains should just be taxed directly as income. Not indirectly creating more loopholes. Same way stock buybacks should be taxed at the same rate as short term capital gains.

  • Yes let's encourage more risky behavior! Absolutely braindead takes.

    This sort of proposal would establish a minimum 35 % return in any project. Thus halting investment entirely

    Let's put this in perspective. I'm currently going to collaterize a few hundred thousand in equity to take a loan to develop homes in my very housing short city of Portland. My calculated return is 40%. This is an excellent return..

    It this were taxed then my initial loan would have to be 40% larger which means all my profit would go into paying that back, which means this project never gets done.

    You are already going to get the money once the homes are sold and the capital gains are realized. Why is everyone so greedy? You essentially want to tax twice