Annie Thórisdóttir, known as Iceland Annie, was a winner at the 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games. She won the title of World's Fittest Woman plus a check for US$250,000. Under Icelandic law, she has two weeks to surrender about half of her prize to the government in taxes. This has apparently raised concerns in Iceland that the country's taxes will drive high income Icelanders to move out of the country.
She answered those questions on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's news program As It Happens (the interview starts about 17 minutes into the second half of the show). The relevant part of the story ...
Annie: "The taxes have always been fairly high in Iceland and all the Norwegian (sic) countries just because of the system we have. It's different from the States. The doctors and the health system are free and the school system and the colleges are for free. We cannot pay for that without the tax money."
Interviewer: "So it sounds like you don't have a problem with paying 50 percent of the prize."
Annie: "No. That's how it is, so of course not."
Interviewer: "Has it ever crossed your mind to not pay, maybe to be not Icelandic?"
Annie: (laughs) "No it hasn't."
Iceland Annie said that winning the prize wasn't any different than earning a salary, so she shouldn't be exempt from paying the same taxes as anyone else. She also views the welfare of her countrymen as something she needs to support. Compare that to our conservative rump, who never seem to miss a chance to demonize those who need a helping hand, and would dump this country in a second if there was a buck in it for them. So I salute you, Iceland Annie, for loving both your country and your countrymen more than 30 pieces of silver.