Sure it does. Quite a few European countries have a top tax bracket in the 50% range. Denmark's capital gains rate is 42%, more than double what Bezos pays here.
Indeed. But it is not clear to me that Denmark's system of not distinguishing between the two is better than the US system of allowing long-term investments to incur less of a tax burden than short-term speculative gains.
I suspect the US could raise capital gains tax fairly substantially before it made sense for Bezos to move himself, his assets, and his company out of the US.
Maybe you're right. Maybe not. I don't know. I have somewhat the opposite opinion though — I believe people in his position have all manner of resources to facilitate the movement of assets.
> I believe people in his position have all manner of resources to facilitate the movement of assets.
Sure... and yet, Bezos hasn't moved his assets somewhere with zero capital gains tax, like Switzerland. There are clearly benefits to being in the US that are worth the 20% tax rate to him. I think a lot of them would still be present if it were 30-40%.
Short-term capital gains in the US are also taxed according to income tax rates, so 37% for the top bracket, which isn't far off 42%.