this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2024
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submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by jeena@jemmy.jeena.net to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[โ€“] HauntedCupcake@lemmy.world -1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Fair, in this example Bill Gates isn't exactly the best one to pick. And the clarification on the lobbying rules is definitely a valuable bit of information, so thank you for adding that.

I was more trying to point out that the original comment wasn't saying that the tax break "made money". It's all about shuffling it around to avoid taxes.

At the end of the day, it allows Bill Gates (or other billionaires) to spend otherwise taxable income on whatever they deem important. Whether or not you agree with how they're spending their money is irrelevant

[โ€“] Serinus@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago

to spend otherwise taxable income on whatever they deem important

Yes, that's absolutely true, but the language hides the truth a bit. People don't get the nuance of what "taxable income" is.

If Bill donates a thousand dollars to charity, he saves ~$370 in taxes. That means he's still losing $630 on the deal. The government gets to effectively triple their money by allowing you to decide where it goes.

There may also be a limit of 60% of your AGI? I'm not sure how this works with billionaires.