• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

2

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

3

Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026

1

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

2

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

3

Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026
CommentaryU.S. Politics

The Inflation Reduction Act should have closed this tax loophole for the rich. Here’s the real cost of Sen. Sinema’s decisive vote

By
Morris Pearl
Morris Pearl
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Morris Pearl
Morris Pearl
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 11, 2022, 10:10 AM ET
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat from Arizona, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., on Aug. 6.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat from Arizona, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., on Aug. 6. Ting Shen—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin struck a deal with Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The deal came with a special compromise to appease Sinema: All provisions on the carried interest loophole—private equity’s favorite tax-dodging technique–had to be dropped. 

Currently, and now for the foreseeable future, private equity fund managers can classify some of their income from fees paid by clients who have held assets for at least three years as capital gains (which have a 20% top marginal tax rate) rather than ordinary income (which has a top marginal tax rate of 37%). This loophole allows these fund managers to pay lower tax rates on their income than their assistants, the custodians that clean their offices, and almost every working American. 

After seeing the originally proposed changes to the so-called carried interest loophole, private equity industry executives went on the offensive. They claimed closing the loophole would spell disaster for jobs, small businesses, investors, and even Western civilization. 

The proposed change was hardly earth-shattering. Rather than fully close the egregious loophole, the previous version of the Inflation Reduction Act would have simply increased the required three-year holding period to five years. 

Recent polling shows that most Americans support higher taxes for the rich, including more than two-thirds of Arizonans in Sinema’s home state. A majority of Arizonans voted to raise taxes on the wealthy last year as part of Proposition 208. And it’s not just working-class Americans: Research shows that over 60% of individuals worth $1 million or more support higher wealth taxes. 

In a letter to shareholders, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon came out against the carried interest loophole, calling it “another example of institutional bias and favoritism toward special interest groups.” Recently, Manchin said that fund managers “can’t justify it anymore.” Even former President Donald Trump has decried the loophole by saying fund managers were “getting away with murder” by using it. 

With most Americans across the political and socioeconomic spectrum, influential business leaders, and even the likes of Manchin and Trump coming out against the carried interest loophole, one must wonder why Sinema opposes closing it. She has received over half a million dollars from the industry this election cycle alone. Only time will tell whether her constituents will hold her accountable for prioritizing the interests of her wealthy donors over policies that hardworking Americans—not to mention the planet she used to champion as a member of the Green Party—desperately need.

Refusing to support closing the carried interest loophole isn’t just a moral failure—it’s an economic failure as well. Sinema has claimed that private equity investors “provide billions of dollars each year to Main Street businesses,” but she’s missing the point: Changes to carried interest would only affect the tax rates private equity managers pay. Investors would be unaffected. 

If Sinema was concerned with helping Main Street businesses, she should focus on reports from other sources that closing the carried interest loophole could raise $180 billion over 10 years. That’s $180 billion that we could use to support vulnerable Americans and invest in America’s future. 

As supporters of the Inflation Reduction Act celebrate its passage, it’s important to remember what Sinema’s decisive vote cost. 

Morris Pearl is a former managing director of BlackRock, chair of the Patriotic Millionaires, and coauthor of Tax the Rich! How Lies, Loopholes, and Lobbyists Make the Rich Even Richer.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

More must-read commentary published by Fortune:

  • Here come the Roarin’ 20s. Invest until it hurts
  • A list of companies supporting abortion rights after the Roe v. Wade ruling shows which firms are stepping up, and why
  • The recession is already here—if you’re a woman
  • Career hoarding is on the rise—but it comes at a cost
  • Venture capital is hard—and it’s supposed to be

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Morris Pearl
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

sb
Commentarynational debt
The national debt is over 100% of GDP and most of Congress is ignoring wishes to rein it in. It’s time to amend the Constitution
By Steve H. Hanke and David M. WalkerJuly 15, 2026
3 hours ago
Is your AI really working? Why productivity isn’t the same as progress
Future of WorkBrainstorm Tech
Is your AI really working? Why productivity isn’t the same as progress
By Jamie GarverickJuly 15, 2026
5 hours ago
r
CommentaryFDA
Trust in the FDA is collapsing. It’s time to get really transparent about our food and our drugs
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Megan Ranney, Sten Vermund, Patricia Greenstein and Steven TianJuly 14, 2026
23 hours ago
mm
Commentaryregulation
Exclusive: Delaware proposes testing the AIC, a new legal entity for agents in a regulatory sandbox
By John Nay and Charuni Patibanda-SanchezJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
jobs
CommentaryLabor
Black women’s unemployment rate fell. That’s not the good news you think it is
By Katica RoyJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
b
CommentaryWorld Cup
Columbia Business School professors: What the Balogun red card can teach us about AI and judgment
By Oded Netzer, Christopher Frank and Paul MagnoneJuly 13, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
Newsletters
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
By Sydney LakeJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
North America
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 14, 2026
23 hours ago
Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026
By Danny BakstJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
'He found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power': Warren Buffett stunned by Epstein pull as he snubs Gates Foundation
Banking
'He found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power': Warren Buffett stunned by Epstein pull as he snubs Gates Foundation
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 14, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.