- United States
- Calif.
- Letter
The tax code rewards the elites by taking from the poor — Change it!
To: Sen. Padilla, Rep. Chu, Sen. Schiff
From: A verified voter in Pasadena, CA
September 30
The tax code is broken in a specific, fixable way: a billionaire who borrows against a stock portfolio pays nothing, while a nurse or teacher pays a higher effective rate on every paycheck. That's not a side effect — it's a design choice, and I want you to change it.
Investment income should be taxed at the same rates as wages. Loans secured by appreciated assets should trigger a taxable event. Inherited fortunes should face meaningful estate taxes. Corporations need to pay their share too — that means closing offshore profit-shifting loopholes and reining in stock buybacks that funnel gains to wealthy shareholders instead of workers.
This isn't about punishing success. Concentrated wealth distorts democracy and hollows out the middle class. Fix the tax code.