He might have “only” paid 25% but it is within law but some of that might be deferred income to be taxed later.
We all try to do that with our 401K and/or IRA over the years.
It could be deferred losses. The IRS can tax all of your gains, but losses are strictly limited and have to be taken across many years. I probably will never be able to claim losses caused by libs...Banks, Coal, Pharma. And I will never be able to write them off with a $3,000 per year limit on lossws and no limit on gains. I cannot publish what I think about the IRS and congress.