Do as I say, not as I do
At a Christmas party last night a local business owner talked about his struggles with local property taxes. It’s a big deal here in New Jersey and a major impediment to small business growth in lower income areas like ours. As a small business adviser, I frequently discuss strategies to minimize taxes. I mentioned that I found a way to minimize property taxes but that I do not recommend that anyone follow my lead. As a lifelong social activist, I frequently find myself in confrontations with government. It is not an easy way to live. It causes much pain to me and my family. In this case I mentioned, it caused a loss of more than seven figures of assessed property value. Don’t do what I did just to lower your property taxes! Yet I t is not a decision I take lightly. My strategies are definitely not a path that I recommend to others. I have been sued, fined, liened, levied, audited, investigated, detained, prosecuted, jailed, threatened and attacked more than any other CPA that I’ve ever heard.
Back as a teenager I made some strong commitments that I’ve held as guides for my whole life. They focus on core values like integrity, respect, the golden rule, questioning everything, and fearless action.
Is it worth it? Will my life’s work have any lasting positive value? Will the sacrifices I’ve made have any positive impact on my community? I think so, but I just do not know for sure. I often tell my family and others: if I didn’t think it will work out in the end, I would take a different path. We have only on life to live, time is short, and we each hold responsibility for our own actions.
(Some of my story was covered in the book “The Drowning of Money Island”. More is planned in a project titled “After the Drowning”).
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