Now this may sound harsh . . .

Here is an interesting story.

“I think people sometimes think that poverty is an intractable problem that cannot be solved. I completely disagree with that,” says David Sutherland. In January this year, Sutherland quit his role as Chief Financial Officer for Morgan Stanley to dedicate himself full-time to poverty alleviation work.

So a rich banker, having made all the money he and his family will need for at least 20 lifetimes, decides to retire to run several non-government organizations dedicated to addressing global poverty. He even does it in the name of Christ. David Sutherland is Chairman of the Board for International Care Ministries. This is one cool and chic sandwich. A Mammonite has decided to atone for his sins in the financial business.

“The only reason that everybody doesn’t do poverty is because they can’t figure out how to do it. We’re business people and so we figure out solutions to that. I just felt like if somebody smart and driven was able to spend time doing it, and especially get with a group of people, that you can actually think about solutions to these sorts of problems. You could use those same skills that we use in business to actually make a difference. 

David Sutherland 

The article goes on to wax poetic on his mission to the poor. I cheered until I got to the part where the interview focused on his pet projects. In addition to his role with International Care Ministries, Sutherland has also two non-governmental organizations of his own. The first one offers business consulting services to charities.

Sutherland uses his experience and business skills to assist two other Hong Kong based non-profits working to combat poverty. Asian Charity Services provides business consulting and training to Hong Kong charities working with the city’s poorest. “They basically get investment bankers, all these big guys who have been reasonably successful in life, and now they want to give back”, says Sutherland.

Building better charities with investment bankers sounds like a clever way of building better fund-raisers (a.k.a. money-changers). That warrants the raising of at least one eyebrow. But the second non-governmental organization had me even more nonplused about his motives.

Friends of Hong Kong Charities is an organisation that facilitates donations to local charities by US citizens, helping them to overcome a taxation complication that might otherwise act as a disincentive. If a US citizen based in Hong Kong wants to make a charitable donation, the US system requires tax be paid on this. Friends of Hong Kong Charities is a dual-registered charity that Sutherland created “so that an American citizen that is paying taxes in two countries can get a deduction in both countries if he makes a contribution”, says Sutherland. Friends of Hong Kong Charities funnels these donations to local charities.

No one creates more tax loopholes for the rich in the name of Christ. Keep in mind that these are people who lack for nothing and their offspring will have anything they ever want. So why the hell do these rich Americans that make their living in a city in China need more incentives to donate to charity? It reminds me of a sermon I have read many times (Mark 10:17-31).

In that sermon (also found in the gospels of Matthew and Luke), you will recall that a rich young man ran up to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to be welcomed in the kingdom of God. To his credit, this man followed the ten commandments religiously (or claimed to do so). Jesus looked upon him with love and told him to demonstrate his love for God by giving up his wealth. That young man failed the test and Jesus went on to explain why the rich will be few in God's kingdom. In that context, David Sutherland seems to be encouraging rich folk to donate to charity out of the goodness of their heart (as long as they get more tax breaks for the donations). This story wound up giving me indigestion.

By the way, Hong Kong is one of the wealthiest cities in the world but also home to 1.3 million desperately poor people, many of whom work but earn too little to live in a place this expensive. A few fun facts about David Sutherland's home away from home in Hong Kong far away from his native America.

• 19.6 per cent of the city's population can now be classified as poor, or 15.2 per cent if regular cash welfare payments are included;

• More than half of those who fall under the poverty line have one or more full-time worker in their households;

• One in three elderly people - approximately 296,600 - are poor;

• One in five children - 208,800 youngsters - are poor; and

• 235,600 people on CSSA welfare still fall below the poverty line.

Remind me again why rich American industrialists need more tax incentives to help the poor living under their nose in Hong Kong. It strikes an unpleasant chord.