Yes, tax policy compounds the problem; if you have a warehouse of goods, you're already risking that your tangible goods will be damaged by mold, rodents, fire,

Yes, tax policy compounds the problem; if you have a warehouse of goods, you're already risking that your tangible goods will be damaged by mold, rodents, fire, severe weather, improper employee handling, theft, or changing market conditions. Now on top of that the IRS treats your inventory as if it's an appreciating asset, and Sarbanes Oxley makes you out to be an enron-class criminal if you claim to hold any value there -- because it's not as easy to audit as other financial instruments as stores of value. We could definitely retool our regulatory policy if we want to improve our posture in the trade conflict.