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Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 1:28 am
by Fuzzy Necromancer
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/0 ... raduating/

My feelings about this are complicated. On on hand, it's nice, but on the other hand it's just...sad that it's even needed. Also why don't more billionaires do this?

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 2:14 am
by ProfessorDetective
I wonder if that counts as a 'charitable donation'.

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 3:01 am
by Robovski
It's nice he did this. You can stop there Fuzzy.

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 3:29 am
by Fuzzy Necromancer
ProfessorDetective wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 2:14 am I wonder if that counts as a 'charitable donation'.
Because it was to a variety of individuals, rather than a 501c3 nonprofit entity, under the US tax code, it does not count as a charitable donation.

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 3:45 am
by BridgeConsoleMasher
This doesn't "remind" me about how bad the system is. This is like a major thing that Sanders, AOC, and even Warren talk about every other day on my feeds. The donation addresses symptoms instead of causes, which kinda derails DeVos etc. notion that this is much a support for unregulated capitalism, but it doesn't evoke feelings about how socially devoid capitalism, just maybe that it's a drop in the bucket.

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 3:49 am
by Yukaphile
Pity Sanders can't extend that appreciation to minorities and women. Especially women.

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 4:08 am
by BridgeConsoleMasher
Yukaphile wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 3:49 am Pity Sanders can't extend that appreciation to minorities and women. Especially women.
Right. Again, this doesn't evoke feelings of politics, thank you.

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 11:46 am
by G-Man
Fuzzy Necromancer wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 3:29 am
ProfessorDetective wrote: Wed May 22, 2019 2:14 am I wonder if that counts as a 'charitable donation'.
Because it was to a variety of individuals, rather than a 501c3 nonprofit entity, under the US tax code, it does not count as a charitable donation.
According to the linked article, Mr. Smith said that his family is creating a grant to pay off the debts, which sounds as if he is going to funnel the money through a 501c(3). So he probably will be able to deduct it.

There is also a good possibility that the students will face no tax liability on the gift.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-fi ... -morehouse

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 7:39 pm
by Fuzzy Necromancer
I stand corrected. My bad.

Re: Billionaire pays off entire class's student debt at end of graduation speech

Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 12:04 am
by BridgeConsoleMasher
AOC chimes in on the debacle with a surprising response:

https://secondnexus.com/news/ocasio-cor ... cellation/


‘People Shouldn’t Be in a Situation Where They Depend on a Stranger’s Enormous Act of Charity for This Kind of Liberation to Begin With.’