&gt; With the proviso that it appears to contribute to capital flight, so requires a global wealth tax; which Picketty believes is more Utopian than politically achievable.<p>Or perhaps it&#x27;s not politically achievable specifically because there are enough people who would consider it <i>dystopian</i> instead, which is precisely why those people would &quot;contribute to capital flight&quot; if such a tax was passed.<p>&gt; Certainly the utility of such a law is up for debate, but your starting position was that the idea was beyond the pale, which is not correct.<p>I find it &quot;beyond the pale&quot; that what to do with other people&#x27;s money is &quot;up for debate&quot; by anyone.  My position remains that taxing an endowment is <i>at least</i> as unacceptable as taxing wealth in general (which, fortunately, there&#x27;s significant opposition to), if not even more so because the endowment is intended specifically for charitable purposes.