"Hit Us with a Tax Bomb" Super Rich Demand Wealth Tax

Open Letter from 205 Wealthy Individuals in 13 Countries
"Extreme Wealth Issues Must Be Addressed"

Super-rich individuals around the world have urged governments to "tax us" in order to address the severe problem of wealth polarization.

On the 17th (local time), according to foreign media including the British daily The Guardian, 205 ultra-wealthy figures from 13 countries, including Abigail Disney, heir to the Walt Disney family, and actor Mark Ruffalo, who played the role of 'Hulk' in Marvel movies, called for the introduction of a wealth tax in an open letter.

They pointed out to political and business leaders gathered at the Swiss World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum), "If the root causes of division are not addressed, the elite meeting held in Davos to discuss 'cooperation in a divided world' is meaningless."

Actor Mark Ruffalo. [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

They also said, "Over the past 50 years, wealth has gone upwards, not anywhere else, and this trend has greatly accelerated," adding, "The solution is simple. As global leaders, you should tax us immediately."

Furthermore, they emphasized again, "To protect democracy and build cooperation, measures for a fairer economy are needed right now. This is not a problem to leave for our children to solve," and "Now is the time to address extreme wealth. It is time to tax the super-rich."

Meanwhile, an analysis revealed that during the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the world, 63% of the newly created wealth was taken by the top 1% super-rich.

According to the 'Survival of the Richest' report released by the international relief and development organization Oxfam on the 16th, 42 trillion dollars (approximately 52,130 trillion won) of new wealth was created worldwide over the past two years. Oxfam pointed out that 26 trillion dollars (approximately 32,271 trillion won), accounting for 63% of this, went to the world's top 1% super-rich.