How to think about a wealth tax

Ever since the new Democratic majority was seated in the House and the 2020 Democratic presidential primary got underway, numerous proposals have emerged to increase taxes on America’s wealthiest. But is a two percent tax on wealth over $50 million as small as it sounds? And what are the disincentive effects of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 70% top tax rate? On this episode, AEI’s Alan Viard walks us through how to think about some of the new tax policy proposals emerging out the Democratic presidential primary race. Alan Viard is a resident scholar here at AEI, where he researches federal tax and budget policy. He earned his PhD in economics from Harvard University, has worked as a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and was a senior economist at the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers. You can download the episode by clicking the link above, and don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. Tell your friends, leave a review.