‘None of us can accept this level of inequality.’
A #TaxTheSuperRich campaign is gaining momentum, with thousands of people adding their names to a petition launched by Oxfam calling for higher taxes on the wealthiest individuals.
In 2024, billionaire wealth surged by $2 trillion, three times faster than the previous year, while 3.5 billion people around the world continue to live in poverty. Shockingly, four new billionaires are created every week.
Oxfam’s campaign highlights the growing disparity between the super-rich and the rest of us, calling it “out of control.”
The charity warns that at this rate, we could see five trillionaires within the next decade, while people in countries from the UK to Nepal and Kenya to Brazil struggle to make ends meet.
It notes how if the 16 richest people in the world lost 99 percent of their wealth overnight, they’d still be billionaires, and if the super wealthy paid more in taxes, the funds could be used to improve healthcare, education, fair wages, and address the climate crisis.
“A system that allows billionaires and their unchecked, unearned wealth is causing serious damage, and we’re all picking up the tab: battling soaring living costs, underfunded public services, and the worst effects of the climate crisis.
“None of us can accept this level of inequality,” says Oxfam.
Over 8,000 people have signed Oxfam’s petition to ‘Tax the rich: Join the fight for a fairer future.’
Greenpeace is also joining the call, urging governments to tax the super-rich and direct the funds towards social programmes and environmental protection.
Greenpeace speaks of an “undeniable connection” between inequality and environmental destruction, noting that the wealthiest 1 percent are responsible for more emissions than 66 percent of the global population. They stress that the richest people continue to pollute and exploit the planet for their personal gain.
“To save our planet, we must tackle the root causes of inequality.
“There’s enough money for a green and fair world but it’s just in the wrong pockets. It’s time to make rich polluting elites pay!”
Greenpeace is urging people to put their name to its campaign to tell governments to tax the super rich for a greener, fairer world.
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