A case in Supreme Court for $15,000 over taxes over cost billions to Washington

It all began with a fight over a tax amount of $14,729, which the government claimed Charles and Kathleen Moore owed on an investment they made in a company in India.

However, their lawsuit, which will be heard by Supreme Court on Tuesday, could wind up costing the government billions, prompting follow-on lawsuits challenging a wide swath of federal taxes and upending proposals some Democrats have floated for years to tax the ultra-rich.

The legal questions in the case involves how to define income for tax purposes. But the Supreme Court’s judgement will be about how much the government can dip into the earnings of wealthy Americans who can shield those holdings from taxes.

The Moores, a retired couple living in Washington state, claimed that they have never received profits on their investment. This is because those profits were reinvested into another company, KisanKraft, which sells equipment for farmers. They argue that since they haven’t received any income, they cannot be taxed on it.