J.K Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books and who is fairly wealthy has an interesting moral stance on paying tax:
"... I am indebted to the British welfare state; the very one that Mr. Cameron would like to replace with charity handouts. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net, threadbare though it had become under John Major’s Government, was there to break the fall. I cannot help feeling, therefore, that it would have been contemptible to scarper for the West Indies at the first sniff of a seven-figure royalty cheque. This, if you like, is my notion of patriotism..."
http://www.taxfairness.ca/en/news/j-k-rowling-paying-taxes-a...
Re:Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
by balabaster on Wednesday November 08, 2017 @10:25AM
(#15653296)
Another reason I think she's an amazing woman to look up to and aspire to be like... but I'm not making 7 figure royalty cheques. I'm paying the same taxes (give or take) as everyone else that can't afford to leverage West Indies tax shelters. In the meantime, I'm stuck utilizing tax loopholes that save me tens of dollars a year.
I think was I was probably reacting to "everyone leverages the opportunities they have." and I was pointing out that there are some people, like Rowling, who avoid paying very large amounts of tax (tens or hundreds of millions in her case) for largely moral reasons. I'm just happy that people like that exist.... :-)
Re:Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
by balabaster on Tuesday November 14, 2017 @09:58AM
(#15695528)
I don't begrudge those that have made it, in fact, the opposite is true, I'm happy they managed to cross the chasm. Unfortunately many of us that still have to work hard to afford a relative life of comfort vs. struggling at the poverty line can't afford to not leverage every tax loophole we can in order to give our kids every possible opportunity for success that we've fought tooth and nail for.
Re:Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
by holografix on Wednesday November 08, 2017 @10:13AM
(#15653168)
That’s why the opportunity shouldnt be there. It’s unfair and leads to further concentration of power. In other words it’s anti competitive.
Re:Paradise Papers: Dear Tim Cook
by balabaster on Wednesday November 08, 2017 @10:22AM
(#15653261)
I do agree with this. Opportunities shouldn't be there unfairly. If one person should be able to leverage an opportunity, in my mind, so should everyone. In that sense, I'm currently in favour of the basic income strategy being piloted in Sweden right now. I would like to see everyone on an equal playing field. But that said, in the meantime I'm going to leverage every tool I have access to, just as you should and everyone else should.
It doesn't make it morally right, but at the end of the day, everyone leverages the opportunities they have. You can't blame someone for that. They are working within the confines of the framework defined for their circumstance. If that framework had loopholes that could be leveraged by that individual, they would take them.