# Do Capital Gains Screw the Poor?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capital-gains-screw-the-poor/986644>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 5, 2023, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capital-gains-screw-the-poor/986644 "2023-07-05T14:37:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 27

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capital-gains-screw-the-poor/986644/27 "2023-07-05T20:50:18Z")

</div>

ISTM that the capital gains tax rate may be irrelevant to the OP’s hypothetical (a small investment grows to billions in a retirement account). If the account is a Roth IRA, the investor paid taxes on the income before it was invested, and the earnings will be tax-free no matter how large they grow.

But count me among those who believe having a separate, lower tax rate for capital gains is highly regressive and increases wealth disparity. ([I even started a thread on the topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-the-us-justify-a-20-long-term-capital-gains-tax-rate/825950) a few years back.) If the OP’s billionaire buddy had their bitcoin investment in a conventional IRA, and thus had to pay taxes on it when it was withdrawn, there’s no earthly reason why they should have a lower tax rate on those billions than I pay on the money I earn.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-capital-gains-screw-the-poor/986644)._