Week in Insights: Legal Tax Avoiders Are Just Playing the Game

Curated by Daniel Xu

It seems there is a news story, based on a report from a think tank, about some major corporations or wealthy individuals paying nothing in tax for years on end on almost a weekly basis.

Terms are chosen carefully. Legal “loopholes” or “dodges” are to blame, not illegal “shelters” or “evasion.” These semantic decisions suggest that political will, or the lack thereof, stands in the way of ensuring major earners and corporate interests pay their fair share.

That isn’t to say there aren’t occasional tax arrangements that venture into illegal tax ...