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The latter, thanks for asking. However, I'm certain the percentage of civil servant table-top gamers is relatively high.

No. Tax rates that high encourage wealthy people to spend money on accountants because the benefits are so great. Each dollar that is untaxed is like $5 taxed. It's like multiplying their income by 5x. They will literally spend billions on it and avoid it.

The better way to do it is through enforcing corporate taxes and setting minimums. Say a corporation has a $100 million in taxable income and a tax rate of 20%. Increasing the tax rate by 5% yields $5 million dollars relatively easily. All you have to do is monitor the business expenses and make sure no one is using private jets, cars, credit cards, or real estate for personal reasons. You can tax the money at the source and corporate workers have little reason to hide their boss's illegality.

Now let's say you didn't increase the corporate taxes, so the tax rate is 20% and $80 million is available to shareholders. To get that $5 million from shareholders you have to increase taxes on all forms of investment income by 6.25% (5/80). Plus you have to audit everyone to guarantee that you get all the money. It costs more because there's more people involved.

An 80% income tax would not affect investors unless they received unqualified dividends (look up "qualified dividends"). Not only that, they could delay the income taxes entirely by not paying out the money. Now you get no extra taxes and the company uses the money to lobby for Republicans to lower income taxes (then pay out later).

Corporate taxes are easier.

Loans against stock are not income because the gains haven't been realized yet. There's still a risk the stock can drop so he hasn't actually earned anything. This is exactly what happened with Tesla and Twitter.

Elon took out loans against Tesla stock to buy Twitter. Tesla stock fell. Then he mismanaged Twitter (X, lol) and its value fell (theoretically because it's private). Elon is not a smart man. Not only is he bad at running a business, he's also bad at managing his money. He's spending (actually wasting) money that he hasn't even earned yet.

It's like someone taking out a home equity loan. They wouldn't get taxed on it because it's a loan. They haven't sold the house yet.

Although there is a good argument for higher corporate taxes. That would tax the money before it became dividends or buybacks or capital gains or a margin loan (what you're talking about). Corporate taxes are simple and hard to avoid, if created properly. Just make treaties with other countries to avoid the dumb "Ireland" tax scenario where Apple designs phones in California, builds them in China, sells them around the world, and pretends the company actually exists in Ireland.

Ah, of course. The Möbius poop.

I think if you listen to right wing conspiracy you become seriously crazy.

I assume they've seen companies talk about revenue vs profit, and think they can claim there's a difference between earnings and income.

What went so wrong with her development and growth through life?

I feel like the thing that really sets the SovCit breed of crazy apart, the truly pernicious twist that makes it so appealing to some while so obviously ridiculous to everyone else is the idea that buying into it all means you're smart.

That you've figured out the game and have the system by the tail.

And much like any cult, part of the deal is that anyone who doesn't agree with you is either: too stupid to understand and worthy only of your smugness and patronizing disdain...or if not stupid, most likely in on the very system you're fighting. Either way, anyone who isn't already onboard is someone you don't want to communicate with.

Everyone I have ever known to receive SNAP has still called it "food stamps" even though they physical mechanism these days is a debit card. It's just ingrained into American culture at this point. The name is probably not going anywhere any time soon.