Rising market capitalisation: Distinguishing the effect of rents from that of innovation
The rise in market capitalisation, particularly in certain business sectors (technology companies), and the resulting enrichment of shareholders is shocking for public opinion. This has led to proposals to tax these capital gains. But then there is a major problem: Part of the rise in market capitalisation stems from innovation: technological progress in companies and the development of new products; Another part of the rise in market capitalisation stems from rents: monopoly (oligopoly) rents thanks to the rise in profit margins due to dominant positions, "monetary rents" due to the rise in asset prices thanks to highly expansionary monetary policies. It should be possible to tax enrichment due to rents without taxing enrichment due to innovation or good business management. One possibility is to carry out this taxation at the time of inheritance, since it no longer affects the innovative owner-manager of the company.