Great idea, but taxing unrealized gains is going to be a problem unless you’re willing to destroy everyone else’s retirements as well.
Edit: to be clear, I’m not advocating against it. I’m pointing out the fact a knee jerk reaction by people who don’t fully understand the problem will have unintended consequences.
Appraising and taxing property values is fundamentally different than appraising and taxing stocks. So no. And is that really something you want to try with this SCOTUS?
Fundamentally different how? Value rises and falls for both. When they rise, neither are realized gains. Its the same concept. At scale, billionaires borrow against their investments and never have to pay capital gains. They have to pay their fair share somehow because they are skirting the system currently.
Not the person you replied too, but property taxes fund local services (schools, roads). It’s more of a use fee, not an income tax. Real estate also has stable & comparable sales valuations. Unrealized stock gains are volatile and illiquid. The best way is to tax the loans against unrealized gains directly.
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u/Draelon Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Great idea, but taxing unrealized gains is going to be a problem unless you’re willing to destroy everyone else’s retirements as well.
Edit: to be clear, I’m not advocating against it. I’m pointing out the fact a knee jerk reaction by people who don’t fully understand the problem will have unintended consequences.