[rayiner]

Less than two years because total taxation is about $7 trillion (don’t forget state and local). Also, insofar as most of the $10 trillion in wealth is equity, it represents their share of expected corporate earnings decades into the future. The proper comparison for that is the $360-400 trillion in future federal revenues over 75 years, probably $500+ trillion accounting for state taxes.

So the share those billionaires will get of expected earnings 10, 20, etc., years from now is just 2% of what the government will bring in from taxing everyone over a similar time horizon.

[slively]

Cool, so this small group of people controls wealth roughly equivalent to 1/50th of what the entire USA government brings in. Still way too much.

[rayiner]

Why? What’s the specific objection? E.g. Bezos’s “wealth” reflects his 9% ownership of Amazon multiplied by the fact that Amazon makes a lot of money. Presumably you don’t object to the idea of someone owning 9% of a company. That leaves the fact that Amazon is too big/makes too much money. If you’re making an antitrust argument just say that. I probably agree with you on that point!