Third Base Post 2

I found Born on Third Base really interesting! Similar to what I talked about in my first post, Collins addresses a wide variety of issues that surround wealth. Most of these topics covered, such as climate change and tax "evasion", are very loosely related to one another. The only common connection between all of these topics is that there is a large amount of wealth surrounding all of these topics.

When Collins talks about tax "evasion", my inner accountant cringes. Collins is using the term completely incorrectly. When people donate to causes and receive a tax deduction, this is not considered tax evasion. Tax evasion is a felony, and an example of this is when the IRS tells you that you owe $100,000 and don't pay it. In contrast, a tax deduction reduces the amount of taxes that the IRS tells you to pay. Charity donations are deductible, and so are payments made for treatment of life-threatening diseases. People who donate money to charity and are required to pay less taxes aren't "avoiding" taxes anymore than people who pay for cancer treatment and receive a tax deduction. Similarly, wealthy people who move to other countries in order to avoid taxes also stand to lose too. In these instances, these people essentially forfeit their U.S. citizenships and are no longer granted all of the rights that other citizens are given. These people can't travel to other countries that are allied with the U.S., because they would likely be extradited and their investments are not protected by the financial regulations in place that prevent scams.

There are also some other things that Collins talks about that I don't really agree with, but I respect his opinion. He makes his decisions based on the experiences that he has had in his life, and the things that he's learned from them just as I do with my decisions.