#252: Capital Gains Tax Rates - Good or Bad?

Click on the segment title above to read a transcript of a segment on NPR's All Things Considered discussing Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's self-disclosed AVERAGE tax rate. You can also find a link to the audio for this segment here. Keep in mind that for a wealthy man like Romney, his AVERAGE rate and his MARGINAL rate are two different things. The preferential rates for capital gains (and currently for dividends under the Bush tax cuts) are controversial and have been for many years. I think we should all give it some thought. For example, while I agree with Warren Buffett that the rich should pay more in taxes, I want my retirement income to be taxed at the lower capital gains rates when the time comes. Hard to have it both ways, isn't it?