They were about as "communist" or "socialist" as "red" China, for much the same reason. Ideological rhetoric was just a means to an end, as you know, hence the Bolsheviks were lined up and shot almost the moment the "peoples" revolution concluded.

Meanwhile, nearly every First World state has higher taxes on the wealthy than we. The most cited objections here are that wealth and/or its owners would leave but because the taxes are higher every place with a standard of living as good or better than here, the specter of people leaving is illusory. Further, those other nations economies generally do just fine despite allowing the exportation of wealth you say is practically impossible here. The only Kool Aid vendors here are those trying to sell the same supply side garbage that caused the Depression and the recessions under Reagan.