Last year it came in at number 3 on the Barron's list, this year it came in at 15. The "Buffett Tax" seems to have hurt Buffett's reputation. Here's a comment from Adrian Day of Adrian Day Asset Management: "Buffett's pseudo-folksiness is just a little too much. Also, I can't respect a company whose head wants to raise my taxes."
When you invest billions in banks and insurance companies, it's nice to have a backstop in the form of the federal gov't and taxpayers to bail you out if it goes wrong. It makes for a very nice assymetrical risk reward opportunity. Hence, the need for higher taxes.