April 9, 2012
Tom Cardamone
This letter was originally published by The New Yorker.
TO THE EDITOR:
James B. Stewart does such an entertaining job of illustrating the effort many of New York’s richest non-residents put into avoiding city taxes that a reader might be excused for cheering them along, just as I did with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in the similarly named movie (“Tax Me If You Can,” March 19th). However, the actions of such tax evaders do a great disservice not only to working-class New Yorkers but to all Americans currently suffering from cuts in health care, education, and other essential services as a result of empty government coffers. Amusing as the games of the rich might be, one need only look at Athens in order to see the possible consequences. At the end of the day, even DiCaprio’s character ended up behind bars.
Tom Cardamone
Managing Director
Global Financial Integrity
Washington, D.C.