Trick Question

September 2005

So what career gives you the most potential to give back to society?

  1. High-paying consultancy job where you are making $500,000 per year by retirement and thus paying something like $200,000 in taxes, or

  2. Low-paying job in the public sector where you you are making $80,000 a year by retirement and paying $16,000 in taxes but, in theory, are directly serving society.

Discuss.

The correct (Mises) answer is 3, the high-paying consultancy job where you are making $500,000 a year by retirement and thus paying something like $10,000 in taxes.