Today I participated in a breakfast meeting of the Bruno Leoni Institute on the subject of taxation of digital income . (Unfortunately, I arrived late).
But the speaker was my friend Massimiliano Trovato; we know each other’s theses very well (we know very well what is the microdetail that divides us and from which our different points of view derive) and I could make my own argument (as a contribution from the public) without leaving the theme.
IMHO, as you know, we are facing a new type of income and as such should be treated (explanation).
Then a man intervened from the public; I don’t know precisely his role but he introduced himself as a representative of one of the GAFA. He exposed the usual paraphernalia of justifications on why it is good to do nothing on the taxation front. Nothing new, really; we’ve heard this tune from them for many years.
He also made a statement about a very “old economy company” that I know well; I told him things were not as he was saying and he replied laughing in my face.
I did not fail to point out his rudeness. At first he said that it was not true (but the session is recorded) then he apologized. I said I received his apology.
But I cannot consider that a statement of apology for a gesture of serious rudeness and arrogance, can exhaust the thing.
I always tell my teenage daughter she can’t think (metaphorically) of breaking a vase, then apologize and it’s as if nothing happened. You can’t pretend that it didn’t happen. You bear a responsibility for what you do.
Especially if you are the representative of one of the most powerful companies in the world speaking on behalf of the company.