What Facebook's Eduardo Saverin Is Really Taking With Him - Page 2
Sure, Eduardo Saverin might not owe America anything, so he doesn't really have to stick around. As Americans, we didn't owe the Saverin family, citizens of Brazil, anything, either, when they arrived in Miami in 1993. Despite this, we welcomed their use of the sidewalks, roads and bridges to transport the goods that fed, clothed and entertained young Eduardo, far from the gangs that wanted to kidnap him. We opened the doors to publicly-built immigration services, and paved the way to Eduardo's citizenship. We paid for the teachers who taught him, and the cops who kept the gangs away, so his parents could sleep at night.
If you're thinking that Eduardo's mother and father rolled up their sleeves and paid their taxes too, that's my point. They contributed to not just their son's welfare - they lent a hand to the rest of us, too, year after year, no matter how much their tax bill was, giving back to the country that gave them back the very life of Eduardo Saverin.
I'm sure Saverin's parents are proud of their son. When it comes to how Saverin's history will be written, however, this decision has tarnished a broken legacy he carries far from our shores. No matter the reason, long after he is gone and his money spent, Eduardo Saverin has pretty much guaranteed his history won't include the words "American" or "icon" in it.
Would you have done the same in Eduardo's shoes, or do you feel that, given the very minor investment in his youth, the Billions he would've had to enjoy the rest of his life more than made up for any potential tax burden? I'd love to read your thoughts below.
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