The Pandora Papers are leaked files from 14 offshore service providers that tie more than 330 public officials, including 35 world leaders, to an offshore fortune. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalism shows how world leaders and public officials use offshore tax havens to hide assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars, resulting in the filing of a massive investigation. While there is a dominant narrative to side with the poor, today on Leveling Up, Eric suggests that hating on the rich is misguided, and suggests that we should filter this information ourselves and think critically about the incentive behind the actions of those involved. To find out more about the Pandora papers, what this means for you as a human being, and how you should think about this, tune in today!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

• [00:29] What the Pandora Papers are and some of the people implicated.
• [01:14] Who’s behind the leaked files.
• [01:33] Why Eric believes the media is incentivized to do this.
• [03:07] How setting up offshore companies is not illegal.
• [03:42] The importance of filtering information for yourself.
• [04:02] Why you should consider how these people got rich in the first place.
• [05:11] Thoughts on the ethics of King Abdullah II of Jordan’s property empire.
• [05:39] Thoughts on Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta owning offshore companies.
• [06:10] How we should reframe the narrative and critically think through what is legal and illegal.
• [07:00] Thoughts on the ethics of Vladimir Putin’s mistress buying assets in Monaco.
• [07:23] The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. 
• [08:08] Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s failure to declare an offshore investment company.
• [08:27] Thoughts on the Pakistani prime minister’s dealings.
• [08:59] Why you should think critically about the incentive behind the actions of those involved and how it fits into your worldview. 
• [09:17] Why Eric focuses on what he can control.
• [09:41] Why you should focus on what is actually legal and illegal and why it matters to you.

 

Resources From The Interview:

 

 

• The Pandora Papers 

 

• The International Consortium of Investigative Journalism

 

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