4 ms·

Pretty sad. Jeff Bezos - like him or not - supports Dutch businesses, adds to their GDP, buys a yacht etc. This is the thanks.

by sgt 5y ago

zinekeller 5y ago
Ah yes, because they valued a historical bridge more than a foreigner who didn't have a clue on what happened in that area. Not all people are wealth maniacs.
- prox 5y ago
  Apparently the bridge was redesigned and to be brought back in its old state (its a monument) was also made to be deconstructed. The previous version of the bridge was able to let ships through. Or so I heard.
- FDSGSG 5y ago
  Well, the bridge is designed in a way that allows it to be easily and safely dismantled. The 2017 government promised to not dismantle it anymore, but 2022 government seems to disagree. The important part we're missing are the risk assessments from engineers involved in the project. As far as I understand from reading the news, the 2017 promise was mostly given because at that time the local government had left the bridge covered in scaffolding for an excessively long time.
- darawk 5y ago
  The people who actually built the boat are Dutch. The decision to do it this way was obviously made by the firm building the boat, not Bezos.
kergonath 5y ago
Poor, poor tax-evading oppressed billionaire.
- CamperBob2 5y ago
  Why isn't he in jail, if he's guilty of tax evasion?
  - scollet 5y ago
    > Why isn't he in jail, I mean, that's the hope.
    - CamperBob2 5y ago
      When, exactly, has he been found guilty of tax evasion?
- rosndo 5y ago
  When was Bezos charged with tax evasion? Do you think that because he is a billionaire he must be guilty of tax fraud? Or do you have some actual evidence?
- mkdirp 5y ago
  Tax avoidance is not the same as tax evasion. The former is illegal, where the latter is not, though ethically it is frowned upon.
  - rosndo 5y ago
    > though ethically it is frowned upon. That’s a bit ridiculous. Just about everyone does their best to minimize the taxes they pay. Where would you draw the line? The lawmakers drew one, but apparently you aren’t entirely happy with that.
    - 6510 5y ago
      > Just about everyone does their best to minimize the taxes they pay. With mixed results.
    - mkdirp 5y ago
      The lawmakers drew a line that favours the rich. When you have companies making millions paying more in taxes than the common folk who barely scrape by. The lawmakers do it because of the rich lobbying them. Something the most people don't have the money for. For sure everyone does their best to minimise the taxes they pay, but when you are the richest person in the world with some $200 billion, maybe you should be doing silly schemes like charity for tax avoidance. Heck I tend to minimise my taxes, but often I don't even have such opportunity. The best I can do right now is contribute to my pensions. I'm on a current tax rate of around 50%. Outside that, there's not a lot I can do to minimise the tax I pay. Compare that the rich, who through their lobbying, and their schemes have paid an effective tax rate of around 3% over 5 years. My statement is ridiculous to the rich, not so much to the rest of the population.
      - mkdirp 5y ago
        > When you have companies making millions paying more in taxes than the common folk who barely scrape by. This should have said: > When you have companies making millions paying less in taxes than the common folk who barely scrape by.
Broken_Hippo 5y ago
And to think, he could have lobbied to change laws to pay a share of taxes that poor folks would think are fair, given money to feed people, paid for vaccines in poor countries, and a slew of other things that would likely support businesses and add to GDP in various places, but no. Instead he's buying an obscene super-yacht - which probably has its own regular yacht and a few other ships that come with it - and dismantling a bridge to get it into the water. It is more obscene considering he could likely do all of this stuff without, you know, becoming poor - but it is only the really helpful stuff that isn't getting done.
NicoJuicy 5y ago
Sure, it doesn't have to do anything with the "the double dutch" tax evasion.

Pretty sad. Jeff Bezos - like him or not - supports Dutch businesses, adds to their GDP, buys a yacht etc. This is the thanks.

by sgt 5y ago

Pretty sad. Jeff Bezos - like him or not - supports Dutch businesses, adds to their GDP, buys a yacht etc. This is the thanks.

zinekeller 5y ago

Ah yes, because they valued a historical bridge more than a foreigner who didn't have a clue on what happened in that area. Not all people are wealth maniacs.

prox 5y ago
Apparently the bridge was redesigned and to be brought back in its old state (its a monument) was also made to be deconstructed. The previous version of the bridge was able to let ships through. Or so I heard.
FDSGSG 5y ago
Well, the bridge is designed in a way that allows it to be easily and safely dismantled. The 2017 government promised to not dismantle it anymore, but 2022 government seems to disagree. The important part we're missing are the risk assessments from engineers involved in the project. As far as I understand from reading the news, the 2017 promise was mostly given because at that time the local government had left the bridge covered in scaffolding for an excessively long time.
darawk 5y ago
The people who actually built the boat are Dutch. The decision to do it this way was obviously made by the firm building the boat, not Bezos.

kergonath 5y ago

Poor, poor tax-evading oppressed billionaire.

CamperBob2 5y ago
Why isn't he in jail, if he's guilty of tax evasion?
- scollet 5y ago
  > Why isn't he in jail, I mean, that's the hope.
  - CamperBob2 5y ago
    When, exactly, has he been found guilty of tax evasion?
rosndo 5y ago
When was Bezos charged with tax evasion? Do you think that because he is a billionaire he must be guilty of tax fraud? Or do you have some actual evidence?
mkdirp 5y ago
Tax avoidance is not the same as tax evasion. The former is illegal, where the latter is not, though ethically it is frowned upon.
- rosndo 5y ago
  > though ethically it is frowned upon. That’s a bit ridiculous. Just about everyone does their best to minimize the taxes they pay. Where would you draw the line? The lawmakers drew one, but apparently you aren’t entirely happy with that.
  - 6510 5y ago
    > Just about everyone does their best to minimize the taxes they pay. With mixed results.
  - mkdirp 5y ago
    The lawmakers drew a line that favours the rich. When you have companies making millions paying more in taxes than the common folk who barely scrape by. The lawmakers do it because of the rich lobbying them. Something the most people don't have the money for. For sure everyone does their best to minimise the taxes they pay, but when you are the richest person in the world with some $200 billion, maybe you should be doing silly schemes like charity for tax avoidance. Heck I tend to minimise my taxes, but often I don't even have such opportunity. The best I can do right now is contribute to my pensions. I'm on a current tax rate of around 50%. Outside that, there's not a lot I can do to minimise the tax I pay. Compare that the rich, who through their lobbying, and their schemes have paid an effective tax rate of around 3% over 5 years. My statement is ridiculous to the rich, not so much to the rest of the population.
    - mkdirp 5y ago
      > When you have companies making millions paying more in taxes than the common folk who barely scrape by. This should have said: > When you have companies making millions paying less in taxes than the common folk who barely scrape by.

Broken_Hippo 5y ago

And to think, he could have lobbied to change laws to pay a share of taxes that poor folks would think are fair, given money to feed people, paid for vaccines in poor countries, and a slew of other things that would likely support businesses and add to GDP in various places, but no. Instead he's buying an obscene super-yacht - which probably has its own regular yacht and a few other ships that come with it - and dismantling a bridge to get it into the water. It is more obscene considering he could likely do all of this stuff without, you know, becoming poor - but it is only the really helpful stuff that isn't getting done.

NicoJuicy 5y ago

Sure, it doesn't have to do anything with the "the double dutch" tax evasion.