Tax us more: Super-rich urge governments in open letter

As many as 80 millionaires have penned an open letter, urging governments across the world to impose more taxes on the super-wealthy to help the global economy tide over the coronavirus crisis.

An AFP report said, the group named ‘Millionaires for Humanity,’ includes filmmaker Abigail Disney, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream co-founder Jerry Greenfield, US entrepreneur Sidney Topol and New Zealand retailer Stephen Tindal as signatories.

The collective has urged governments to tax them “immediately, substantially, permanently.”

“As the COVID-19 strikes the world, millionaires like us have a critical role to play in healing our world,” AFP quoted the letter as saying.

The letter has been published ahead of the meeting of G20 finance ministers.

Stating that they may not be the one “caring for the sick in ICUs” or driving ambulances that bring the ill to hospital or restocking grocery shelves, the signatories said they, however can help with money they have.

“We are not driving the ambulances that will bring the ill to hospitals. We are not restocking grocery store shelves or delivering food door to door. But we do have money, lots of it. Money that is desperately needed now and will continue to be needed in the years ahead, as our world recovers from this crisis,” the letter read.

The group was a collaboration between Oxfam, Tax Justice UK and the Patriotic Millionaires of high-net-worth US businessmen.