pavarotti & unhcr

Sender: menon@...
Date: Tue Aug 2, 2005 10:15 am

hi,
i've read with much interest your article about donations and unhcr. I'm italian
and i was dazed when i read that Pavarotti had mader so big donations to the
unhcr. I suppose he (and other italian millionaires) is searching a new
virginity. He was convicted for tax fraud a few years ago, and this is no good
ad. Donations, on the other hand, offer the fake image of a honest man, who
volunteers for peace and democracy. Yuk! He agreed to pay $11 million in back
taxes and penalties, and to offer the world a new image of honest man he agreed
to pay some $2,3 million. Tax deductible. Yes, maybe you don't know that
donations are tax deductible in Italy. Thus the real sum he and Armani have paid
to unhcr is that grand total LESS the deductible part (around 40% i suppose),
which is paid by the rest of us italian taxpayers. Thus we also should be cited
in that infamous list. Double yuk!
Giorgio