&quot;Why try to start a business when if you succeed, you won&#x27;t keep that much of the winnings?&quot;<p>Some people start businesses to solve legitimate problems. I suspect that higher corporate tax rates would encourage the average Silicon Valley startup founder to seek more fruitful income streams, but people who are passionate about solving real-world problems would still attempt to do so. Furthermore there are people like me who don&#x27;t work well outside of a startup environment who will pursue startups regardless of the tax rate. I doubt small businesses will be taxed at such a high rate anyway, given that they are the lifeblood of the American middle class. I&#x27;d rather have a thousand medium-sized businesses that suppress their growth to avoid higher taxes than ten massive businesses with low tax rates.