An unrealized gain is an increase in the value of an asset or investment that an investor has not sold, such as an open stock position. A proposal in the Biden-Harris Administration’s 2025 budget would require households with more than $100 million in wealth to pay income taxes of at least 25 percent of their annual income, including their unrealized capital gains — gains in the value of assets that they have not yet sold. Critics argue that unrealized capital gains, which are a primary source of income for many extremely wealthy households, are mere “paper” gains that do not constitute real income (though they meet a textbook definition of income). Proponents argue that unrealized gains make asset owners (such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk) rich unless they sell their companies’ stock.
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Response rates from 29.4k America voters.
29% Yes |
71% No |
29% Yes |
71% No |
Trend of support over time for each answer from 29.4k America voters.
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Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.
@n35w101 12mos12MO
Yes, real estate is already taxed annually based on their current valuation, even when not sold. I see no reason why other assets shouldn't be treated similarly.
@B5N9D7M4mos4MO
Instead increase taxes on real income of large corporations, and impeach Trump for gutting social welfare to cut taxes for the billionaires
@9TRLW9J1yr1Y
The value of an asset is based on what someone is willing to pay for it. If the item has not sold then there is only speculation on the value. It’s not fair to tax anyone on someone else’s speculation of value.
@9TSHCBZ1yr1Y
Only if two criteria are met: 1. it would only apply to individuals with net unrealized gains in a given year of $100 million + 2. they would be able to take unrealized losses against the unrealized gains.
@9TSRQSW1yr1Y
25% is way to much to tax anybody, just because they are making more money than others doesn't mean that they should get a quarter of their annual income taken from them
@9TSHJQ21yr1Y
No, unrealized gains can drop due to the nature of them not being sold. Only realized gains should be taxed because they are locked in. Unrealized gains can become a loss quickly.
@9TTFYGH1yr1Y
I can swallow my pride and acknowledge that I'm not educated enough to give a nuanced answer on this topic. If you're asking "should we tax Bezos' 38 trillion Amazon shares he hasn't sold yet" then sure, why not
@9TZ3ZX6 12mos12MO
Yes, but only for households above a certain amount (ie households with more than $100 million in wealth)
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