A wealth tax is a form of wealth tax calculated using the fair market value of a person's assets. Developed nations rely on annual income taxes to fund government operations, but some prefer to tax wealth instead.

However, lawmakers like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass. ), both of whom are running for president in 2020, have recently proposed a wealth tax in addition to the income tax to address the enormous and expanding imbalance in wealth in the United States. Warren reintroduced her plan to tax the income of the very wealthy, now known as S.510, in March 2021.

When calculating a person's tax liability, wealth taxes look at the whole worth of their assets. The net fair market value of a taxpayer's assets, such as cash, bank accounts, shares, fixed assets, personal automobiles, real estate, pension plans, money market funds, owner-occupied homes

Financial Asset Taxation: An Overview

When people have a lot of money, they have to pay a wealth tax subject to the tax. Cash, savings accounts, stocks, vehicles, land, buildings, pensions, 401(k)s, IRAs, taxable investment accounts, occupied primary residences, and revocable living trusts are all examples of assets.

France, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland are the only OECD nations to impose a wealth tax. Twelve countries implemented a wealth tax in the early 1990s, but the trend toward this type of taxation has since waned.

There is no national or state wealth tax in the United States. In its place, the United States levies yearly taxes on income and property values. However, some people view property tax as a wealth tax because it is set annually on the same item. High-value estates in the United States are subject to an additional death tax.

However, in the past couple of years, such tax provided just around 0.5% of U.S. tax receipts.

Tax on the wealthy: examples

In practice, the value of a taxpayer's net worth as of the conclusion of each tax year is affected by a wealth tax. Earnings investment returns like interest, dividends, rentals, and gains on the sale of assets change the direction of their flow due to income taxation.

To illustrate how wealth tax differs from income tax, consider the following scenario. Let's pretend a single person has a taxable income of $120,000 annually and is subject to a tax rate of 24 percent. For that year, that person will be responsible for $28,800 (24% x $120,000). When wealth instead of income is taxed, how much do people owe in taxes? With a wealth tax of 24% and an assessed net worth of $450,000, the resulting annual tax liability is $108,000.

Wealth taxes are levied at annual rates far lower than income taxes. France's wealth tax, for instance, used to cover the entirety of an individual's wealth.

However, it was limited to properties valued at more than €800,000 ($904,166) as of 2021. Assets valued between €800,000 and €1,300,000 are liable to a 0.5% tax. Real estate assets valued above €10,000,000 are subject to a 1.5% tax, after which the rate will increase to 1.7%. The maximum tax rate is 75% of taxable wealth.

A non-resident taxpayer's wealth is subject to a country's wealth tax if they have assets there.

Warren's Wealth Tax Legislation (S.510)

Sen. Warren has proposed the following changes to the tax code to be implemented in the 2023 tax year. People who owe more than $50 million in wealth taxes in 2022 are those whose net assets (assets minus debt) are valued at more than that amount.

Annualized Tax Rate Over $50 million in net assets: 2%; over $1 billion in net purchases: 3% Stock, real estate, boats, artwork, and other valuables owned by the wealthy are all taxable. Economic Impact: Estimates suggest that roughly 100,000 households would be subject to S.510's provisions over a decade, resulting in a potential $3 trillion in revenue.

A Wealth Tax: Pros and Cons

Wealth tax proponents argue that a wealth tax would be fairer than an income tax in cultures with a large income gap. They think a system that taxes people based on their income and the value of their assets is more equitable since it considers people's wealth as a whole.

According to their detractors, wealth taxes stifle the creation of new wealth, which is essential for a thriving economy. They also stress the difficulty of implementing wealth taxes. While many people support the idea of a wealth tax as a means to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes, the existence of exemptions could undermine this goal.