French EuroMillions winner to give away €50m (~$68 million) of €72m (~$98 million)

[pampango]

A man who scooped more than €72m (£58.5m) on the EuroMillions lottery has decided to give €50m of it to charity.

In what the Le Parisien tabloid called an incredible act of generosity, the unidentified winner from the Haute-Garonne area of south-west France has said he will share his giveaway between about 10 non-governmental organisations working on behalf of the disadvantaged.

"He has a strong sense of social solidarity and he believes in generosity," an FDJ (lottery) spokesman said.

The sociologist Denis Muzet said the act of philanthropy could not have come at a better time for France. "This individual is sending us a message: success in life is not about how much money you earn but about what you do for others," he told Le Parisien. "In a society in crisis, in search of moral reference points, where money dominates everything, his action makes sense."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/30/french-euromilions-winner-give-away-50-million-euros

"... a strong sense of social solidarity and he believes in generosity" - Damn those European socialists. Something tells me this person is not a member of the National Front.

I hope he saves enough to pay the taxes. He is donating about 70% of his winnings. My guess is that the tax rate on that amount of income is more than 30% in France.