Wealthy Americans like us have rigged the tax code to give ourselves countless handouts, leaving working people paying higher rates than billionaires. We need to build a tax system that puts a check on the extreme inequality that threatens our economy and our democracy.
Today, America’s 800+ billionaires hold more wealth than the 66 million households that make up the bottom half of the country. And yet, because of the way our tax code is structured, they somehow manage to pay lower tax rates than working people.
We started our campaign to urge lawmakers to right this wrong and restore some semblance of fairness to the tax system. There is no reason why investors like many of us should get to pay lower tax rates on the money we make from our wealth than nurses and firefighters do on the money they earn through their blood, sweat, and tears. There is no reason why we should get to pass down large fortunes to our children and grandchildren that have never and will never be taxed. And there is absolutely, positively, no reason whatsoever why billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos should be able to get away with paying $0 in federal income taxes. (Yes, that actually happened.)
“Tax cuts for the wealthy have never and will never stimulate the economy and create jobs. What they do is make rich trust fund kids like me even richer through utterly unfair means. Most of us are not going out and starting successful businesses, employing workers, or even buying that many goods. We're just sitting on our wealth and letting it accumulate.”
Ian Brownell, Patriotic Millionaire
But the issue with taxes goes beyond just a question about fairness. It’s also about reducing extreme levels of economic inequality, putting a check on the ultra-wealthy’s power, and safeguarding our democracy.
The dirty little secret to having a lot of money is that it comes with power. On account of their wealth, billionaires have the ability to buy mainstream media outlets and entire social media platforms at the drop of a hat. They can spew tons of toxins into the atmosphere with their private jets, superyachts, and spaceships – setting our shared planet on fire in the process – and nobody will stop them. And most importantly, they can bankroll election campaigns, right-wing institutes that provide intellectual backing for policies that help their economic interests, and other political entities to the tune of billions, virtually guaranteeing that their preferred candidates come out on top on Election Day and that a network is already in place for those candidates to do their bidding once in office.
Inequality is a major problem, but the good news is that the solution is simple and staring us all right in the face: taxes. Reforming our tax code to ensure that wealthy people like us finally start paying what we owe is the simplest and single most important thing that lawmakers can do to put a check on democracy-destabilizing inequality. What’s even better is that there are already plenty of specific legislative solutions out there for elected officials to choose from to achieve this aim. In recent years, the Patriotic Millionaires helped to introduce two transformative pieces of tax legislation: the OLIGARCH Act and the American Stability Act.
Let’s be clear: no one, including us, likes Tax Day. But we recognize that we have a patriotic duty to pay taxes along with our fellow citizens, and would be happy and proud to pay more if it means securing the future health and stability of our beloved country.
Tax the rich!
Tax the Rich! How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer
In Tax the Rich! former BlackRock executive Morris Pearl, the Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires, and Erica Payne, our Founder and President, take readers on an engaging and enlightening insider’s tour of the nation’s tax code, explaining exactly how the rich — and the politicians they control — manipulate the tax code to ensure they get richer and everyone else is left holding the bag.
As I’m sure you’ve seen, the debt ceiling is in the news again as President Elon Musk and VP Donald Trump try to figure out how to lead the incoming kakistocracy. We thought it would be helpful to explain the issue and the negotiations around it, if you’re looking for some light reading as you finish up your holiday shopping.
Last night, President Elon Musk and Vice President Donald Trump—yes, you read that right—joined forces to kill a funding deal crafted by congressional Republicans to keep the government from shutting down on Friday. Good riddance. If Democrats are going to provide the majority of votes for a short-term government funding bill, it shouldn’t be one that would help unwind one of the signature accomplishments of the Biden era: cracking down on rich tax cheats.
Today, the Patriotic Millionaires joined forces with the Revolving Door Project to launch a grassroots letter campaign – housed at FreeCharlesLittlejohn.com – to urge President Biden to commute the prison sentence of Charles Littlejohn. For this week’s Closer Look, I want to tell you about Charles Littlejohn, make my case as to why he deserves clemency from the president, and do my best to encourage you to join our cause.
If you’re looking to do some holiday shopping this weekend, we have a great tip for you: order a copy of Pay the People! Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookshop!
