No API to dump snapshot of asset holders.
Then how can big guys like overstock uses our platform to issue shares and pay dividends ? by buying back ?
Buying back is my preferred approach to dividends from efficiency and tax perspective. I didn't say it couldn't be added in the future, just that it is not there yet.
How about a future feature to automatically allocate a new UIA to a snapshot of another asset (UIA, BTS, or even BitAssets)?
An issuer of UIA-A can create a snapshot at time T1 creating UIA-A-T1. UIA-A-T1 is a claim on the dividends meant for UIA-A by the snapshot time T1. The UIA-A issuer can then put a buy wall in the UIA-A-T1/BitUSD market at a price of (total BitUSD dividend for UIA-A at snapshot time T1)/(total outstanding UIA-A supply at time T1). The issuer would provably destroy the UIA-A-T1 as they buy it from the market.
This would be a more straightforward operation than mass transactions to a manual snapshot of UIA-A holders. If the cost of creating the UIA-A-T1 snapshot was small, it can also be cheaper in terms of total transaction fees for the issuer.
Furthermore, IANA tax attorney, but one may be able to argue that the UIA-A-T1 asset is a gift with a zero cost basis and therefore simply receiving the asset does not create any tax liability. However, when the user goes to actually sell UIA-A-T1 for their share of the BitUSD dividend, they then create a taxable event and have to pay the appropriate capital gains taxes.
The snapshot feature has another important role. One could issue a UIA snapshot of BTS at some point, then use the UIA proposal voting features to understand what BTS stakeholders want. We would no longer need to assume what is in the best interests of the stakeholders when making important decisions. Just put a proposal on the blockchain and let them vote on the given options.