I agree with you, but "My effective tax rate is 2000%" is a huge stretch. No, you got taxed 20% when you generated the income. Just because the place-you-keep-y

I agree with you, but "My effective tax rate is 2000%" is a huge stretch. No, you got taxed 20% when you generated the income. Just because the place-you-keep-your-money blew up doesn't increase your "effective" tax rate or any other. It's a you problem if your mattress-full-of-cash burns down, or your bank goes out of business, or whatever -- you were taxed at the time you generated the income, and if you didn't set the money aside at the time, that's not the government's problem. You can't really say they're increasing your tax rate.