The Radical Luxury of Treating a Tax Bill Like a Bill
A routine contribution becomes a character study when the contributor has enough money to make it interesting.
The story
Fortune reports Jensen Huang described being able to pay $8 billion in taxes over five years as a privilege.
Source: fortune.com
Our reading
There is something wonderfully revealing about the amount of attention required to establish that an obligation can be met without an accompanying tragedy.
Most people encounter a deduction on a payslip and proceed with their day. The experience has not traditionally come with a profile, an assessment of their courage or a discussion about whether the country deserves them.
At the other end of the income scale, the same basic transaction can become a referendum on gratitude, belonging and personal philosophy. The receipt acquires a narrative arc. The balance sheet is invited to reveal the soul.
It is refreshing to hear a calm response. It is also worth enjoying the absurdity of the category itself: a person doing something ordinary must first become extraordinarily wealthy for doing it to sound extraordinary.
Perhaps the next luxury release will be a tax receipt in a presentation box. The rest of us can keep the standard edition.