Story 003 | The Four Brothers and the Family House

 

Once upon a time in India, four brothers lived in a very large house with their mother. Eventually, three of the brothers decided to let the oldest brother have the whole house. They signed “release deeds,” and the oldest brother gave them each some money. But the government tax collectors were watching! They said, “That’s not a ‘purchase’; that’s just a release, so you must pay extra tax!” The oldest brother argued that in plain language, he had “bought” his brothers’ shares. The judges smiled and said that the law should speak the same way regular people do. They called it a purchase. Do you think “buying” and “releasing” should mean the same thing if money is paid?