A group of 83 millionaires, including Disney heiress Abigail Disney and Ben & Jerry's co-founder Jerry Greenfield, has urged governments to raise taxes on the wealthy to help fund measures tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
In an open letter, the group said: 'As Covid-19 strikes the world, millionaires like us have a critical role to play in healing our world.' They acknowledged they are not frontline workers but emphasised their wealth is 'desperately needed now and will continue to be needed in the years ahead'.
Signatories include British film director Richard Curtis and Sir Stephen Tindall, founder of the Warehouse Group and one of New Zealand's richest men. The letter warns the economic impact could 'last for decades' and push over half a billion people into poverty.
The group called on politicians to 'acknowledge that tax increases on the wealthy and greater international tax transparency are essential for a viable long-term solution'. The letter was released ahead of this weekend's G20 finance ministers and central bank governors' meeting.
It was organised by Oxfam, Patriotic Millionaires, Human Act, Tax Justice UK, Club of Rome, Resource Justice, and Bridging Ventures. The call comes as critics note that Jeff Bezos, the world's richest person, donated $100m to US food banks, less than 0.1% of his estimated fortune.
