By framing things in terms of income taxes, the debate is already conceded. Instead, the question should be "What percentage of their net worth does an average

By framing things in terms of income taxes, the debate is already conceded. Instead, the question should be "What percentage of their net worth does an average American billionaire pay in taxes each year?". I don't have the answer to that question, but let's compare it to the median American household, for which numbers are available. The median family's net worth[0] in the US is about $120k, and the median household federal tax burden[1] is about $10k per year, which coincidentally equates to an 8.3% annual wealth tax. If billionaires were paying 8.2% of their net worth in tax every year, I think people would find the system a lot more fair than it is today. [0] https://dqydj.com/average-median-top-net-worth-percentiles/ https://dqydj.com/average-median-top-net-worth-percentiles/ [1] https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trove-of-never-before-seen-records-reveal-how-the-wealthiest-avoid-income-tax https://www.propublica.org/article/the-secret-irs-files-trov...