Currencies manipulated = bad.
Taxing 70% for rich=good?
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Except that since the wealthy can get themselves paid in stock dividends, they typically only pay the 15% capital gains rate.
The wealthy know all the loopholes and how to use them, so they do not pay much in taxes.
WTF, that's not a loophole, and that same "loophole" is available to everyone.
No, that is silly.
You have to be a top exec or on the board of directors to be able to get yourself paid in stock options or dividends instead of a cash salary.
No ordinary worker is allowed to do that.
The only way the IRS will let you do that is if you are an investor in the company, and not just an employee.
I took stock options as part of my pay package quite often, Rigby. Many companies offer them to their employees...all their employees...not just the top executives or those on the board of directors.
The reason you were offered and accepted stock options, is to avoid taxes.
But most people are not offered them, and they have to buy them, with the company just matching the amount you buy.
That is because the company wants your investment money.
That can pay off a decade later, if the options go up enough, but a CEO, other executive, or board member, can have their entire compensation as stock options.
But you were offered non-qualifying stock options.
The kind I am referring to are called incentive stock options.
That way they do not pay social security, unemployment, etc. There is no FICA on these stock options.
Here is an explanation:
The Difference in Taxation of Employee Stock Options - NQs and ISOs
{...
Taxation of incentive stock options
Unlike non-qualified stock options, gain on incentive stock options is not subject to payroll taxes. However it is, of course, subject to tax, and it is a preference item for the AMT (
alternative minimum tax) calculation.
When you
exercise an incentive stock option there are a few different tax possibilities:
You exercise the incentive stock options and sell the stock within the same calendar year: In this case, you pay tax on the difference between the market price at sale and the grant price at your ordinary income tax rate.
You exercise the incentive stock options but hold the stock: In this situation the difference between the grant price and the market price then becomes an AMT preference item, so exercising incentive stock options might mean you’ll pay AMT (alternative minimum tax). You can get a credit for excess AMT tax paid, but it may take many years to use up this credit. If you hold the shares for one year from your exercise date (two years from the grant date of the option) then the difference between grant price and market price when you sell the options is taxed as long-term gain rather than ordinary income, and if your ordinary tax rate exceeds your AMT tax rate you may get to use some of the previously accumulated AMT credit.
For high-income earners, holding the stock for the required time period can mean paying tax on the gain at 15% versus 35%. However, there are risks to this strategy that must be carefully evaluated.
Tax rules can be complex.
A good tax professional and/or financial planner can help you estimate the taxes, show you how much you'll have after all taxes are paid, and provide guidance on ways to time the exercise of your options to pay the least tax possible.
...}
Not being a CEO or that wealthy, I have never done it myself, but I know those who are wealthy and have.
In fact, that is the main reason why companies like Intel hire a lot of contractors instead of regular employees.
Contractors do not get benefits or paid unemployment, so they make your stock look better, making options more valuable.