@ISIDEWITHQuestionsthe EconomyStarted 9mos agoActive 2 days ago

Should the government tax unrealized gains?

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 437 Cultural Liberalism voters.

15%
Yes
85%
No
15%
Yes
85%
No

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 @n35w101  from Oklahoma  answered…9mos9MO

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.

 @9TSRQSW from Arizona  answered…9mos9MO

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

 @9TRLW9J from Florida  answered…9mos9MO

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.

 @9TSHCBZ from North Carolina  answered…9mos9MO

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.

 @B5N9D7M from New York  answered…4wks4W

Instead increase taxes on real income of large corporations, and impeach Trump for gutting social welfare to cut taxes for the billionaires

 @9TSHJQ2 from West Virginia  answered…9mos9MO

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.

 @9TTFYGH from Texas  answered…9mos9MO

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

 @9TTXNZC from Texas  answered…9mos9MO

If it means the super wealthy don't have to pay as much taxes as the poor then yes they should be taxed.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…9mos9MO

Iran Warns to U.S. Allies Don’t Help Israel, or You’re Next

Tehran is threatening in secret diplomatic backchannels to target the oil-rich Arab Gulf states and other American allies in the Middle East if their territories or airspace are used for an attack on Iran, said Arab officials.Israel has threatened Tehran with a severe reprisal after Iran fired about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel earlier this month, with some Israeli officials and commentators pushing for damaging strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities or oil infrastructure. In that event, Iran has warned it would respond with devastating hits on Israel’s civilian infrastructure, and would retaliate against any Arab state that facilitated the attack, the officials said.The Arab officials said the countries that Iran has threatened include Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all of which host U.S. troops. These states have told the Biden administration that they don’t want their military infrastructure or airspace to be used by the U.S. or Israel for any offensive operations against Iran, the officials said. While the Iranian threats are vague, they have raised concerns in energy-rich Persian Gulf states that their oil facilities—long viewed as protected by an American security umbrella—could be hit, the Arab officials said. U.S. military installations and forces in the region could also be at risk in a region with one of the highest concentrations of American troops in the world, they added.While the Iranian threats are vague, they have raised concerns in energy-rich Persian Gulf states that their oil facilities—long viewed as protected by an American security umbrella—could be hit, the Arab officials said. U.S. military installations and forces in the region could also be at risk in a region with one of the highest concentrations of American troops in the world, they added.

▲  4724 replies1 disagree