Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

Regardless of Jobs's and Ellison's intentions, they did avoid taxation despite accumulating large wealth. Furthermore, the people who inherit from them will not pay taxes over this accumulation of wealth, either. This could be a side effect, but it is a real effect.

It is possible to prevent the creep you are referring to, just decouple control from the wealth brought by the shares. After all, this is by design. You can distribute voting rights independent of the share of income. I realize one has to be intelligent about this, but I don't see how it is inherently impossible.

The good it brings is fairness. I am taxed on the wealth I accumulate, so should the others. Now, there are exceptions to this; e.g., very poor should not be taxed since that does more harm than good. Perhaps what is suggested in the article would also do more harm than good, but to me it looks like the harm can be prevented.



Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: