That's not to say all rich people are displeased with U.S. tax rates. Timothy Speiss, who heads the personal wealth advisors practice at EisnerAmper LLP, a financial accounting and advisory firm based in New York, says a lot of his rich clients don't see U.S. tax rates as that onerous.

"Income tax rates and estate tax rates are the lowest they've ever been. I think it's odd that people are asserting they don't like U.S. tax rates," he says.

Indeed, up until the late 1970s, U.S. income tax rates were as high as 70%.  Now, the top end is near 35%. And capital gains rates, which have brushed up against 40% several times in the last 50 years, are now just 15%.

"Our clients simply want to be advised on how to use the rules to their proper advantage," he says. "The only frustration I've heard is why did we come to the eleventh hour with this tax legislation. And they don't want to have to go through it again in two years."

Jonathan Crystal, who is one of Speiss' wealthy clients, says most affluent individuals are more focused on what their tax obligation is, and how to best address it and be in compliance.

"I think it's a red herring to suggest that this whole group of individuals has an emotional reaction to taxes," says Crystal. "There may be a group of people out there foaming at the mouth about the current tax environment, but that's not been our experience working with the clients we work with."

Crystal, executive vice president at Frank Crystal & Co., a national insurance brokerage firm, says the conversations he has with his wealthy clients are much more about planning and structuring than about reacting emotionally, he says. They have the resources to get good advice and take a long-term perspective.

Of course, the wealthier the individual is, the more incidental their tax bill becomes.

"The $10 million-plus crowd has the luxury of objectivity," says Evan Kirkpatrick, senior investment consultant at LBG Advisors LLC, a boutique financial services firm in Lynwood, Wash. "They're not as close to the income tax thresholds to the point where they're keeping tabs on taxes."

Paul Hokemeyer, an attorney and a family therapist who works with high-net-worth individuals in New York City, says the way the wealthy feel about paying taxes largely comes down to whether their money was earned or inherited. The psychology of each can be quite different, he says.