Arguments in favour of paying less tax have gained unjustified currency among many of the wealthy

There is a large number – perhaps a majority – of wealth holders who care about society and want to do the ‘right thing’ morally. They promote philanthropy yet seek to minimise their tax. This group are not anti-tax ideologues but people who have thought about these issues carefully over time and have ended at this conclusion. How did this stance become a ‘norm’? How is it that many wealth holders are paying fortunes to advisers to avoid paying tax – and can justify it as a moral act?  

The five arguments that people tend to use to justify this position are:

I PAY A LOT: Wealth holders will be attacked regardless of this fact. This is not really about tax but resenting people who have done well. Continued criticism of this nature could lead to an exodus of wealthy residents, harming both the public purse and philanthropic contributions from wealthy families who live and fund here