Although they are both subject to capital gains taxes there are many differences between real estate and publicly traded stock. As a preliminary matter, as inv

Although they are both subject to capital gains taxes there are many differences between real estate and publicly traded stock. As a preliminary matter, as investment vehicles publicly traded stock is a liquid asset, whereas real estate is an illiquid asset. Generally one invests in liquid investments so that they can be readily converted into cash when needed. From the tax perspective a building/building owner would at all times be subject to continue paying property taxes. If there were some equivalent wealth tax for stock holders then at least society wouldn’t lose out entirely on this kind of tax avoidance scheme designed for the rich, but I’d still probably prefer these billions in bank loans go to qualified home buyers before lending it to the world’s richest man to circumvent a taxable event.