[tunesmith]

Some of it is just screwy. Like...

The average tax rate for the top 2% is higher than for the top 3%. That is as it should be, if you believe in progressive taxation.

It's higher again for the top 1%, and higher again for the top 0.1%.

But then it's lower for the top 0.01%, and lower again for the top 0.001%.

In fact, the average tax rate is lower for the top 0.001% than it is for the top 3%.

In 2015.

[refurb]

I'm assuming it's dependent on source of income. Salary is taxed differently than long term capital gains which I assume those huge incomes are.

[tunesmith]

Yeah, I'm sure that explains it, but it doesn't justify it.

[refurb]

Do you see no value in tax incentives for investment?

Also, keep in mind those very top people are likely not at the top that long. As someone else pointed out, those could be people that sold their company.

[scarface74]

Unless you are a buying stock at a public offering, most "stock investing" is not investing into a company. The company doesn't benefit from the money you are "investing". If you bought $1 million shares of Google. Google doesn't get that money or use it for its operations.

[refurb]

I'm referring to people who sold the business they owned. To me, that would be the most common way someone would end up with hundreds of millions of dollars of income in a single year.

If you owned stock in a public corporation, you'd be smarted to sell it over time to reduce the tax impact.

[g4rthv4d3r]

that is simply not true. the more you buy stocks in a company, the more its market cap goes up. with higher market cap, it is easier to invest in new businesses, acquire other companies, hire better people through stock incentives, etc...

[scarface74]

Market cap doesn't go up based on people buying shares. You are just trading ownership.

In theory, the market cap of the company is the current value of all future returns.

[sumedh]

> Do you see no value in tax incentives for investment?

Warren Buffett and Bill Gates say capital gains tax should be raised.

[refurb]

I'd say that too if I'd already made my billions and paid taxes on it.

[sumedh]

You are not a billionaire so no point in talking about hypotheticals.

For now actual billionaires don't agree with your statement.