American military thought has coined the expression 'Overall Strategic Objective.' When [British] officers first heard this they laughed; but later on its wisdom became apparent and accepted. Evidently this should be the rule, and other great business be set up in subordinate relationship to it.
The AMT was created in 1969 over outrage that 155 high-income households making over $200,000 at that time didn't end up owing any federal income tax. That $200,000 would be worth $1.3 million today.
If your income is above the AMT exemption levels (see table below), there are a different set of rules and rates for figuring your taxes. E.g. The AMT tax rates start at 26% and cap out at 28%. In contrast, regular tax rates start at 10% and cap out at 35%.