Answer: “I help rich people avoid paying taxes.”
Are you impressed? Disgusted? Indifferent? Intrigued?
Is such a preoccupation and way of earning a living honorable, fair, ethical?
In an age where the state needs resources to advance public healthcare, social welfare, law and order etc is it right that people can get rich helping others to avoid paying taxes? While you can say “tax avoidance is different from tax evasion” it’s hard to argue against the notion that most methods of tax avoidance go against the intended purpose/spirit of the tax statutes.
Two questions to discuss:
1. Do you consider the practice of tax law ethical? And by tax law I mean tax lawyers.
2. If your kid said “I want to become a tax lawyer. I want to help rich people pay less taxes” would you be cool with it or would your face frown a bit?
Please justify.