During the pandemic, the well-known have become rich. Some like Bezos, for example, have accumulated as much wealth as has been spent on vaccines. But he is not the only one. According to the latest report by Oxfam, an international confederation of non-profit organisations dedicated to reducing global poverty, the pandemic has been an accelerator of inequality.
Oxfam International director Gabriela Bucher pointed out: “If these ten men were to lose 99.999 per cent of their wealth tomorrow, they would still be richer than 99 per cent of all the people on this planet. They now have six times more wealth than the poorest 3.1 billion people.”
In this context, the words of the heir to the Disney family, Abigail Disney, are very thought-provoking. Leading a group of 102 super-rich who have written an appeal to governments, she called for more taxes: “While the world has suffered over the past two years, many of us can say that we have seen our wealth increase during the pandemic. Few of us, perhaps none, can honestly say we have paid the right amount of taxes.
Tax us, and tax us now the message. Will it be enough to change things? I doubt it. But, without a doubt, it seems awareness is growing.
A longer version of this article appeared on La Discussione.
