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Someone did perform work for it. Those shares were sold by the original creator and employees of the company in order to raise money for the company or to fund

Someone did perform work for it. Those shares were sold by the original creator and employees of the company in order to raise money for the company or to fund their own living expenses. The person that purchased those shares only did so with the expectation that they could later sell them for a higher price. By taxing those earnings you reduce the demand for the shares which then reduces the amount of money the original workers can raise by selling shares. The secondary market provides incentive to invest in companies. Why is it that people of certain political persuasions always seem incapable of thinking through second and third order effects?

wewtyflakes 3y ago
How about thinking of the first order effects? Do you think taxes are fair as they are now? How is that working out for us?
- brigadier132 3y ago
  Tax revenues are so obscenely misallocated that I am not convinced that raising them further will fix anything. We spend more on education than any other country and have worse outcomes. If I had any reasonable confidence that if taxes went up every city will be made beautiful, the homeless would stop doing drugs and go live in government provided housing, and high speed rail would be built between all major metros I'd be first on board. As it stands, a third of my taxes would be used to pay off interest on debt and another third would be used to blow something up.
  - ehnto 3y ago
    It's unlikely the OP is referencing your tax income, but rather corporations and billionaires. I am certain spending could be better allocated, but should corporations and billionaires be getting a free ride when they are gaining so so much from society? What are the downsides to taxing them more?
    - brigadier132 3y ago
      They aren't getting a free ride and as a shareholder of many corporations while also not being a billionaire, by increasing taxes on corporations you are increasing taxes on me. Billionaires and corporations are a misdirection, the actual policy that they will push is to raise taxes on people making upper middle class salaries.

wewtyflakes 3y ago

How about thinking of the first order effects? Do you think taxes are fair as they are now? How is that working out for us?

brigadier132 3y ago
Tax revenues are so obscenely misallocated that I am not convinced that raising them further will fix anything. We spend more on education than any other country and have worse outcomes. If I had any reasonable confidence that if taxes went up every city will be made beautiful, the homeless would stop doing drugs and go live in government provided housing, and high speed rail would be built between all major metros I'd be first on board. As it stands, a third of my taxes would be used to pay off interest on debt and another third would be used to blow something up.
- ehnto 3y ago
  It's unlikely the OP is referencing your tax income, but rather corporations and billionaires. I am certain spending could be better allocated, but should corporations and billionaires be getting a free ride when they are gaining so so much from society? What are the downsides to taxing them more?
  - brigadier132 3y ago
    They aren't getting a free ride and as a shareholder of many corporations while also not being a billionaire, by increasing taxes on corporations you are increasing taxes on me. Billionaires and corporations are a misdirection, the actual policy that they will push is to raise taxes on people making upper middle class salaries.