Possible reason for the delay? We can actually KEEP MORE of our money, less for taxes. Using an inflation calculator, ROI 2008-2018= 17%. So if you were going to pay 10,000 in tax, you would now only pay 8,300 in tax. If my math is correct? This is a HUGE SAVINGS for the 'big boys', and would be worth the wait for them. IMO
"Trump Administration Considering New Tax Break On Capital Gains
Posted by Money and Markets Editorial Team | Jul 31, 2018 | Investing
Trump Administration Considering New Tax Break On Capital Gains
The Trump administration is studying the idea of implementing a big tax break for wealthy Americans by reducing the taxes levied on capital gains, but no decision has been made yet on whether to proceed.
“If it can’t get done through a legislative process, we will look at what tools at Treasury we have to do it on our own and we’ll consider that.”
Administration officials said Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin prefers deferring to Congress. But he does have his department studying the economic impact of such a change and the legality of proceeding without congressional approval.
The change would involve taxing capital gains — profits on investments such as stocks or real estate — after taking into account inflation, which would lower the tax bite. Capital gains taxes are currently determined by subtracting the original price of an asset from the price at which it was sold and taxing the difference without adjusting for inflation.
For example, a stock purchased in 1990 for $100,000 and sold today for $300,000 would produce a $200,000 capital gain. That amount, taxed at the top capital gains rate of 23.8 percent, would result in a tax bill of $47,600. However, if the $200,000 gain was trimmed to just $103,000 by adjusting for inflation over the past 28 years, the tax bill would be $24,514.
The New York Times and the Washington Post reported Tuesday that the proposal was under active consideration by the administration. It has long been supported by Larry Kudlow, head of the president’s National Economic Council. Mnuchin, however, has signaled caution in approaching the idea.
Republicans, led by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady is leading an effort to extend and expand the $1.5 trillion tax cut President Donald Trump pushed through Congress last December.
“If it can’t get done through a legislative process, we will look at what tools at Treasury we have to do it on our own and we’ll consider that,” Mnuchin said in an interview with the Times in which he emphasized that he has not yet concluded that Treasury has the authority to act alone.
“We are studying that internally, and we are also studying the economic costs and the impact on growth,” Mnuchin told the Times.
In an interview in June with The Wall Street Journal, Mnuchin declined to speculate on whether Treasury has the legal authority to make the capital gains change on its own.