s . ▁ ▁U . S . ▁companies ▁are ▁project ed ▁to ▁increase ▁buy back s ▁to ▁$ 7 0 1 ▁billion ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 5 ▁according ▁to ▁Gold man ▁Sach s , ▁an ▁ 1 8 % ▁increase ▁over ▁ 2 0 1 4 . ▁For ▁scale , ▁annual ▁non - res ident ial ▁fixed ▁invest ment ▁( a ▁proxy ▁for ▁business ▁invest ment ▁and ▁a ▁major ▁G DP ▁component ) ▁was ▁estimated ▁to ▁be ▁about ▁$ 2 . 1 ▁tr ill ion ▁for ▁ 2 0 1 4 . ▁ ▁Journal ist ▁Tim othy ▁No ah ▁wrote ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 2 ▁that : ▁" My ▁own ▁preferred ▁hypothesis ▁is ▁that ▁stock hold ers ▁appropri ated ▁what ▁once ▁belonged ▁to ▁middle - class ▁w age ▁ear ners ." ▁Since ▁the ▁vast ▁majority ▁of ▁stock s ▁are ▁owned ▁by ▁higher ▁income ▁households , ▁this ▁cont ributes ▁to ▁income ▁inequality . ▁Journal ist ▁Harold ▁Mey erson ▁wrote ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 4 ▁that : ▁" The ▁purpose ▁of ▁the ▁modern ▁U . S . ▁corpor ation ▁is ▁to ▁reward ▁large ▁invest ors ▁and ▁top ▁execut ives ▁with ▁income ▁that ▁once ▁was ▁spent ▁on ▁expansion , ▁research , ▁training ▁and ▁employees ." ▁ ▁Tax ▁and ▁transfer ▁policies ▁ ▁Background ▁ ▁U . S . ▁income ▁inequality ▁is ▁compar able ▁to ▁other ▁developed ▁nations ▁pre - tax , ▁but ▁is ▁among ▁the ▁worst ▁after - tax ▁and ▁trans fers . ▁This ▁indicates ▁the ▁U . S . ▁tax ▁policies ▁red ist