Greed and Need

I read in a report in a magazine that Sir Richard Branson has chosen to relocate to an island in carribean he now calls his own. In normal circumstances, it will just be news but seen in the context of the taxes he pays and how Sir RB files his returns, something seems to be not right, atleast for me.

It was mentioned in the same report that he will pay for the taxes in the UK only to the extent of what he earns within the UK. I am seeing too many cases of such behavior, not sure what to call it. For me, its being too smart and not having any gratitude for the things you get in the country where you grow.

In the same manner, cofounder of Facebook relinquished US citizenship to be relocated to Singapore, only for the reason of saving the taxes, and this person moved just before the IPO.

When I go through the tax filing of Apple, I find that there is no correlation between the money the company makes and pays in taxes. I know its called smartness in business parlance to save (dodge?) taxes, I am not sure I feel like that. One can argue with the tax system in the country and push for lower rates of taxes but to dodge them, I am not sure I like that. There is every reason for the average people in that country to feel cheated. The reason Apple is so is because of the smart people in that country and their ability to be creative and thrive. Why is it that the likes of India can not create Apple, its do with the people and the country so if you become big owing to the country and smartness around you, one should learn to give it back as well.

I think it’s the greed that comes in here. The amount of money you have can never be more or less, its ultimately ones ability to do good with it, hence by not paying taxes and amassing more money, people like Sir RB and Apple are letting the eco system down and not letting more Apples and Sir RB bloom.