Quote:
Originally Posted by NewEnglandBaseBallist
A few facts that the sole winner of this ALLEGED Da Vinci masterpiece might want to consider:
1. Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty — less than $1.25 a day.
2. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.
3. 805 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat.
4. More than 750 million people lack adequate access to clean drinking water. Diarrhea caused by inadequate drinking water, sanitation, and hand hygiene kills an estimated 842,000 people every year globally, or approximately 2,300 people per day.
5. In 2011, 165 million children under the age 5 were stunted (reduced rate of growth and development) due to chronic malnutrition.
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I'd guess this is going into a huge corporate building (whether on public display or hidden somewhere), and then taken as a direct expense deduction, or some other accounting magic is going to take place which becomes much more beneficial then a charitable deduction.
Of course it could have also just as easily been won by some despot in a poor foreign country stealing money from their people, or a Sheikh in the Middle East who doesn't give a lick about the lower classes or paying taxes at all, because all the taxes go directly to them already.
I'd be kind of curious what kind of paperwork and banking know how goes into a $450 Million consignment sale, where the money is getting transferred from, and what kind of security goes into transporting a piece of art like this to the winner?
I'd certainly be interested in seeing a well made documentary that delved into the minutia of the details of an auction like this.