1. stocks and commercial real estate are allowed to appreciate without taxation (unlike personal residences outside Cali),
2. multinationals wrote for themselves obscure tax rules so they end up paying almost no tax,
3. interest expense for companies and ultra high net worth individuals is subtracted from taxable income (for personal mortgages the interest expense deduction is capped)
4. Rich people organize their assets so estate taxes do not tax their estates when they die and thus their wealth goes to their children.
As you can see wealth is barely taxed.
Our tax system disproportionately favors the wealthy. I know. I’ve been poor, I’ve worked minimum wage. Now I make much more money and the I’ve watched the tax system favor me more the more I make.
"The income tax base captures 60 % of economic income of the top 1 % of wealth-holders."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00472...