Leona Helmsley (aka the Queen of Mean) was sent down in 1989 for tax evasion. She had a point of view on taxes. It was: “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes…”
That was 23 years ago. Things haven’t moved on much.
Legal, aggressive or illegal? Mr Schneiderman is investigating. He is deciding whether these adjectives can rightly be applied to Private Equity’s fee-waiver strategy.
But whether they can or not isn’t the point.
For corporate reputation on tax two adjectives matter: transparent and fair. Those are high hurdles. They matter to the little people – and tax practice doesn’t need to convince the tax authorities. It has to convince the little people too!
For further information on tax and CSR please click here.