Look at a graph for income inequality since 1975. Its way more than a 2% gain like you're claiming here and everyone knows it.
I don't really care about income inequality, and I haven't made any claims about it one way or another. People act like it just happens, no responsibility on behalf of the people who make one amount of money or another.
We will have our first trillionaire soon if we don't put the brakes on this. We could have the top 1% paying 100% of all taxes and it would just mean that everyone else is too poor to meaningfully contribute.
No, it would mean the tax code wills it such.
You're also failing to recognize that assuring that 50% of the population pays less than 5% of the income tax base (to say nothing of self employment, sales, capital gains, or property taxes) and can run off gibbs, you're incentivizing them to stay in that socio-economic band.
If income is spread a bit more evenly, people can pay more into taxes.
The income was pretty evenly distributed in the Soviet Union. Even spread doesn't matter. The trough does. The country's trough is nowhere near as bad as it is elsewhere.
You have to understand that without the high earning minority that the US has, the bottom would be even lower down. And you don't keep that high earning minority by clamping down with excessive taxation and penalties.
Your point about investing is fine but they have plenty to invest already. It definitely generates economic activity if normal people aren't dying and have money to buy things. Thats where basically all small business comes from.
The vast majority of the billionaire and prospective trillionaire class' wealth IS investment. Locked up in keeping businesses running and people employed.
And "normal people" are not dying and are spending plenty of money. Give me a break.
That doesn't mean I necessarily buy the beautiful vision of zero income taxes and a government entirely funded by tariffs though.
It's definitely a ridiculous proposition. Autarchy never works, it's just a fantasy that falls into Trump's annoying behavioural tendencies.