How One of the World’s Wealthiest Individuals Avoided Taxes for Years

Many people are always complaining that the wealthy don’t pay their fair share in taxes. While that is an argument that will never end, it seems that one of the world’s richest men might be guilty. That’s because he was able to avoid paying taxes for more than 40 years. How is that possible? The wealthy taxpayer in question is the founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, who is reportedly one of the top ten richest people in the world. 

Although IKEA is clearly influenced by all things Swedish, the man who built the IKEA empire left his native country more than 40 years ago in the name of tax savings. IKEA is the number one furniture store in the world and in the fiscal year 2014-2015 the company reported 31.9 billion euros. However, taxes have always been a huge part of IKEA’s success. That’s exactly why Mr. Kamprad left the country he loves for Switzerland. He wanted a tax break. 

While he did pay taxes in Switzerland during those 40 years, he legally avoided what would have been a much larger bill if he had stayed in Sweden, for both his company and his personal income. Now, after all these years he has returned to his native Sweden and in 2014 he paid what amounted to about $2 million in taxes to Sweden, while his net worth is reportedly worth an estimated $43.2 billion.

Posted in
How to Network

How to Network

How to Network I often speak to groups about employees becoming entrepreneurs. Part of this transformation is increasing revenue by bringing in new clients. One question about finding new clients always comes up; “How do I network?” These employees sincerely want to network, they just don’t know how. In an attempt to give a worthwhile…

Basics of Forming a Corporation

Basics of Forming a Corporation

Basics of Forming a Corporation If you have decided that the limited liability and the tax structure of a corporation are right for your business, the next step is actually forming the corporation. The law of the state in which you incorporate will dictate exactly what you need to do, but the steps are basically…

5 Rules of Building Successful Connections

5 Rules of Building Successful Connections

  5 Rules of Building Successful Connections Author: Will Corrente Updated: 6/10/2013 For me, connecting with people and connecting with entrepreneurs is one of the most enjoyable aspects of business and entrepreneurship. As a “Connection Optimizer”, I love brainstorming, making introductions, and pointing out potential synergies between friends, colleagues and fellow entrepreneurs. Like all social…

How To Become Employed With 9.8% Unemployment

How To Become Employed With 9.8% Unemployment

How To Become Employed With 9.8% Unemployment 9.8% unemployment is the national average. For many states, it is even higher than 9.8%. I live in California and the number has hit double digits. This is true for many other states as well. Regardless of the rate, anyone actively in a job search knows these are…