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Comment Re:Easy to pay no taxes. (Score 3, Insightful) 229

Here is how you can do it. 1) Put 1/2 your money into a trust. Say $100 million. 2) Also make a series of say 10 long shot investments, $10 million each (another $100 million total). Think very risky tech companies. Expect most of them to become worthless, but a couple to become profitable, hopefully recovering your full $100 million, maybe making a profit. 3) Take loans out on the trust, with the trust as collateral. Say 1 million a year. Given you are a billionaire with significant collateral, you can get very low interest rates. 1%-5% is a good range. Lets say $50 grand a year. 4) Assume you make $6 million a year. Taxes could easily cost you $2 million a year, far more than than the $50 grand a year you pay in interest. But the interest builds each year. 5) Each year you take out $1 million to live on, pay your $50 grand of interest. After ten years, you are paying $500 grand a year, still less than $2 million each you would be paying. Your debt to the bank has grown to $10 million. 6) Remember those long shot investments? Sell two of the losers for practically nothing, say $2 million, for a lose of $18 million. Maybe also take another $8 million of gains from other investments. Net zero capital gains. But your $2 million from losses and your $8 million of capital gains (plus the original investment, whatever it was) pays off your Debt to the bank of $ 10 million. 7) Repeat the process.

The main things you need to do this is enough money so that paying $30 grand for lawyers to set up a trust and the loan initiation fees seems like chump change.

You missed a step between 6 and 7:

6.5) Pay yourself the $8 million, incur income taxes of $3.9 million and only then will you have $4.1 million to pay off your personal debt.

Taking on debt is a good tool because it allows you to retain your current investments rather than liquidating them, however, it cannot be used to avoid taxes - you can only pay off your personal debt with after-tax income.

You also have to take into account the interest expense of that debt vs the potential of your investments + taxes. Sure, you an reduce your income tax by taking off the interest, but that only reduces your taxable income by the interest amount, it's not a saving it's a still a loss - one that needs to be overcome by capital growth after taxes.

Comment Re:The Big Banks (Federal Reserve Members) Win (Score 1) 456

Sorry, I'm a noob. I didn't realise formatting was manual:

The USA financial system is structed in a way that encourages crazy amounts of spending (see: War on Terror) in order the fill the big banks pockets.
Look at this (2010 stats):
Annual Tax Revenue: $2.162 trillion
US Govt Spending: $3.456 trillion
This means that the US government is spending $1.294 trillion more than what it earns.

Now, what does the government do when it needs more money? it is not allowed to print it's own money so it sells Treasuries (IOUs in the form of Notes, bonds, securities)
Who buys these treasuries? Foreign countries, the public - but, the biggest buyers by far are the Federal Reserve Banks (and tricky intra government debt).

The Fed loans out money to banks at 0.00% interest, who in turn buy US Treasuries that pay approximately 4% per annum. Can you say "We're making money out of thin air"? The banks sure can. It's in their best interest that the government remains in debt and constantly requires money to continue to provide services, pay off their debt payments (to prevent a default) - and most importantly PROLONG a hugely expensive war!

On top of that it's the most highly out-sourced and privatised war in history (I'll loan you the money, and then I'll get it back from you) - but that's a whole other story - and it applies to 99% of government spending.

Note: I've intentionally simplified this and left out many other factors - if I were to talk about everything I would be here all day.

Comment The Big Banks (Federal Reserve Members) Win (Score 1) 456

The USA financial system is structed in a way that encourages crazy amounts of spending (see: War on Terror) in order the fill the big banks pockets. Look at this (2010 stats): Annual Tax Revenue: $2.162 trillion US Govt Spending: $3.456 trillion This means that the US government is spending $1.294 trillion more than what it earns. Now, what does the government do when it needs more money? it is not allowed to print it's own money so it sells Treasuries (IOUs in the form of Notes, bonds, securities) Who buys these treasuries? Foreign countries, the public - but, the biggest buyers by far are the Federal Reserve Banks (and tricky intra government debt). The Fed loans out money to banks at 0.00% interest, who in turn buy US Treasuries that pay approximately 4% per annum. Can you say "We're making money out of thin air"? The banks sure can. It's in their best interest that the government remains in debt and constantly requires money to continue to provide services, pay off their debt payments (to prevent a default) - and most importantly PROLONG a hugely expensive war! On top of that it's the most highly out-sourced and privatised war in history (I'll loan you the money, and then I'll get it back from you) - but that's a whole other story - and it applies to 99% of government spending. Note: I've intentionally simplified this and left out many other factors - if I were to talk about everything I would be here all day.

Comment Breathalyzer Results Should NEVER be Used in Court (Score 3, Insightful) 520

There are many factors that could alter the reading on a breathalyser. Our bodies get rid of alcohol in many different ways and at varying rates. Some people will naturally blow higher ratings than others. In Australia, after a breathalyzer is used to detect potential drunk drivers, the driver is taken into a "booze bus" or the nearest police station where a blood sample is taken and tested to give the true result. The breathalyzer result should NEVER used in court.

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