[yellow sitting, at a presidential desk] I’ve been thinking… if we tax the rich more fairly, they might just leave the country!
[blue, angsty, sitting in a chair next to the desk] Mr. President… I’m afraid you’re right, we can’t take that risk, we need them
[a rich character smoking a cigar next to a “0% LOANS” luggage] I hate spending and my wealth is unrealized gains, I contribute nothing to the economy
[another rich character is lounging in a deck chair on a beach, cocktail in hand, luggage on the sand] I’ve already left the country a long time ago
[another rich character leans against a stack of cash with a smug grin] My money is all in holdings, I barely pay any taxes
The rich love to spend on luxury services. Gardeners, drivers, cooks, artists, nannies, cleaners, accountants, personal trainers, beauticians, therapists, guides, teachers, coaches, sex workers, planners, assistants, etc.
I’ve met rich people who spend thousands of dollars per day on this.
That’s taxable. In Britain at least, we have the VAT system where businesses must include it in their prices. There are two or three tiers with the highest tier of 20% applying to goods and services absolutely not necessary for day-to-day living.
Businesses are supposed to keep records of what they’ve charged and to whom, and they can use that proof to claim all or part of VAT back, so that the tax falls mostly on the consumer.
Businesses that don’t do this generally get in trouble sooner rather than later.
(Now, I’m not going to claim VAT is perfect, nor that the stratification of it is done correctly as it stands, but it’s proof a system like that can and does exist.)