I don't really see how interesting this article really is though.

Let's say that someone wins the lottery and has 10 years to turn in the ticket worth $500 million. He can keep that ticket locked away for years and pay no tax on it. He owns the ticket. He's worth $500 million. Is he avoiding taxes by not cashing it in right away? Should his tax rate be defined based on what he could have right now? Should he be given a tax bill of $200 million the day after he gets the ticket even if he doesn't cash it?

When he cashes it, he will pay taxes on it just like a billionaire will.

So we're all good with journalists getting their hands on individual tax records of Americans and publishing them?

JLN trampling all over the glorious First Amendment. Very sad!

Indeed, what possible pubic interest could there be in deciphering how the ultra-wealthy evade tax obligations?

Something, something, rights aren't absolute, something, something yell fire in a crowded theater and fire codes.

But seriously, what public interest is served in retrieving and publishing the details of Bezos's personal return? Does every American have a Right To Know the effective tax rate paid by any other American, or is it just the rich ones? And how rich must they be?

[No, and that doesn't matter. No, but these are not "any old group of people".

So the publication of individual tax returns of Americans can be in the public interest if...those Americans have a lot of stuff? How much stuff? Who decides?

Maybe Congress should pass a law to assess taxes on the unrealized gains of these specific people. And because they’d be achieving some measure of fairness in the tax code, I imagine they’ll have wide support for this bill of obtain’der.

How can we possibly know who is a public figure? Man this is tough!

Do you need to refer to the mat again?

I have a feeling any bill like that is going to die in committee for some strange reason.