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California is chasing wealth that has feet

293 points · 870 comments · idbnstra

  1. binlog · · focus · HN ↗
    Wealth taxes are a symptom of a broken tax system. If you let someone get to hundreds of billions in net worth and then realize they haven’t been appropriately paying back into the system, it’s already too late. Like the article says they can simply say “no” in a variety of ways, from fighting in court to simply leaving.
    1. jdm2212 · · focus · HN ↗
      Larry Page owns about 5% of Alphabet, which is worth $4T, so he has $200B give or take. Which part of that do you think reflects a "broken tax system"? Companies should get kneecapped if their market cap gets too high? Founders shouldn't be allowed to keep even a single digit percent of the company?
      1. 14u2c · · focus · HN ↗
        The part where he has access to essentially unlimited untaxed cashflow by borrowing against that asset. Especially with how the market has been lately, the gains erase any burden of the loan. Something has be done about this, at least. Otherwise broken sounds about right.
        1. csallen · · focus · HN ↗
          Well, why does something have to be done about this, exactly? Who is getting hurt here? It's not like his ownership percentage of Google is somehow keeping wealth out of the market.
          1. 8note · · focus · HN ↗
            the people getting hurt is anyone who would have bought something but was outbit by larry page's free money glitch.

            he doesnt necessarily have to pay it back either. he could just take out another loan against his same now higher valued assets to pay off the old loan

            1. csallen · · focus · HN ↗
              Okay, but now he just has even more debt to pay back, what's your point? At some point he does have to pay.
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