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 Create a Common Dream

How to Create a Common Dream

  Updated 12 8 20.  All companies are out to achieve success.  Success can be defined in different ways, but in most cases, companies define success by results. Many companies have mission statements, common dreams – or goals – that they use to motivate their workforce or to define their purpose. These statements are also often used to define success. Mission statements can be a…

High Property Taxes Pushing Many New Yorkers to Relocate

  Recently I posted a report that the number of wealthy individuals leaving Connecticut for more tax-friendly pastures has been increasing. It seems that Connecticut isn’t the only state that is facing this problem. According to a report in the Democrat and Chronicle, New York is also dealing with more people leaving due to high…

Starting a New Business? – Be Prepared for Taxes

  Starting and owning a new business can be very exhilarating but it can also be very stressful. There are so many important things to keep track of and dozens of tasks that need your attention. One thing that can get lost in the shuffle is your taxes. First, the taxes you owe and how…

Why Is Integrity So Important for Building Trust?

  One of the greatest attributes a business can have is trust. Trust is so important between a company and its customers, as well as between the leaders of a company and the rest of the staff right on down the line. Trust can take a long time to build, but it can be lost…