Post #20593 by Said on the Berkshire Hathaway board

Stocks A to Z / Stocks B / Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)

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Maybe the following "The Economist" article can settle the endless dividends discussions?

https://archive.ph/wZM38

Quote:
Gabriel Zucman of the Paris School of Economics takes aim at in his short new book, “We Need to Tax Billionaires”. Mr Zucman, whom your columnist interviewed for our “Inside Economics” show, has arguably surpassed Thomas Piketty, his compatriot and erstwhile co-author, to become the favourite economist of left-wingers everywhere.

His latest thesis is that holding companies allow the ultra-rich to pay taxes at far lower rates than most of the public, and even those who support flat (rather than strongly progressive) taxation should support new levies on wealth to level the playing field.
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Holding companies are more of a problem for European taxmen than for America’s IRS. Uncle Sam has since 1934 imposed a 20% tax on the undistributed income of personal holding companies, after public fury when J.P. Morgan, a plutocrat banker, paid no income tax for two years running. Still, Mr Zucman says this Rooseveltian fix was incomplete. He notes that Warren Buffett’s listed holding vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway, has not declared a cash dividend since 1967. Earnings pile up, free of income tax.

If a left-wing Economist who wants to - rightfully - tax the rich more sees Berkshire because of it´s non-dividend policy as a vehicle for them to escape full taxation then maybe the ones in favour of dividends should listen?

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