The Worst Economy Leaders of 2008: Warren Buffett Edition
After I posted about James’s The 10 Dopiest Business and Economy Leaders of 2008 where I gave Warren Buffett an honorary mention, he did me the honor of posting on why Buffett. Thank you James!
The reason I’m picking on Buffett is that even when Berkshire Hathaway paid (at least according to Forbes) 2.5% of all taxes collected in 2003 while making only 1.2% of total corporate income that year, and the top 25% of all taxpayers currently pay 86% of all taxes, last May he famously called for an increase on both business taxes and on even more progressive personal taxes. While one may argue that “that was last May”, Buffett has been calling for this for years now, and I haven’t heard him change his mind now that we’re into a recession. The most he’s said recently is that Congress won’t be raising taxes for now, but eventually it’ll have to and “this would “be no disaster,” and that it “wouldn’t change most peoples’ lives.”
“It will be no disaster if tax rates are higher five years from now,” Buffett said, “and, in effect, I still think they’re going to have to be.”
He suggested that it would “not have a big impact on investment at all, if tax rates are changed. He said that tax rates on dividends, capital gains and retirement accounts called 401(k)s were examples of low tax rates.
When Buffett talks, policymakers listen. Until I hear him push for less government spending instead of higher taxes, I give him an honorary mention.
Tags: Bernard Madoff, Capital Commerce, Fausta's blog, James Pethokoukis, Warren Buffet
