If this permission is given grudgingly, it is a sign that management really doesn't like it. If permission is given without a second thought, he says, then it means management doesn't really mind. Sometimes supervisors have to turn a blind eye to small-scale pilfering, but it is certainly not ethical to help yourself to inventory. Treading on the path that 'everyone does it' encourages others to follow in our footsteps. The Talmud tells the story of a youngster who rebuked a man for walking through his field.
Nothing is more universal than taxes.
A number of questions address the issue of where to draw the line between tax avoidance and tax evasion. Two Canadian brothers wanted to know whether a complex scheme to transfer their assets to an offshore tax haven is ethical. And a New York CPA wanted to know how creative can he get in interpreting tax laws for his clients who urge him to reduce their tax liability. Meir points out that Jewish tradition clearly recognizes the government's right to collect taxes. It is okay to minimize taxes by taking advantage of legitimate provisions of the tax law, or even taking a reasonable position on an unresolved question of law.