Earnings of the 10 richest people during …

According to the British charity Oxfam, 2020 results of the ten richest people in the worldincluding Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Bill Gates, would suffice to vaccinate the whole world and reverse the increase in poverty caused by the pandemic.

In a report released on Monday as part of a new virtual edition of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Oxfam warned of the gap between rich and poor that has widened even more with the coronavirus: Since the start of the pandemic, the ten richest men in the world increased their common wealth by over half a trillion dollars (540 billion).

As the number of poor people increase in the world, the total wealth of billionaires reaches $ 11.95 billion in December 2020, equivalent to total coronavirus recovery expenditure governments that make up the G20.

In this context, aid to the poorest countries has also been reduced. “The virus has hit an already deeply unequal world and without urgent action to make our economies work for everyone, things are going to get much, much worse, ”warned Danny Sriskandarajah, Executive Director of Oxfam in the UK.

“Billions of people were living on edge when the pandemic began and had no resources or support to weather this violent storm. In countries around the world, we see people struggling to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads, while paid employment becomes more difficult to find, but at the same time, a small number of people pocketed more money in nine months than they could have spent in their entire life.added.

A more “fair” tax system

It is necessary, underlined Sriskandarajah, that in this scenario, the governments stop looking elsewhere. ” Fair taxation of the richest could help the global recovery, raise more money to fight poverty and help shape more equal societies, “he illustrated.”

A temporary tax on the excess profits of the world’s 32 highest-paying corporations could have raised $ 104 billion in 2020.

This would be enough to provide unemployment benefits for all workers and financial support for all children and the elderly in low- and middle-income countries, ”he explained.

In this sense, the director of Oxfam highlighted the law of solidarity and extraordinary contribution of large fortunes sanctioned by Congress at the end of the year, which sets a single tax on the wealth of individuals who have declared up to the date of promulgation of the standard a heritage of more than 200 million pesos. The funds raised will help finance coronavirus measures, including the purchase of medical supplies and aid to small and medium-sized businesses in distress.

He’s not the only one who thinks this way. US tycoon Morris Pearl said on Sunday the United States should “follow Argentina’s lead” and pass a new tax on the richest people to help cope with the crisis linked to the coronavirus pandemic .

Help the poorest countries

This Monday, Sriskandarajah too criticized the reduction in aid to the poorest countries announced by the United Kingdom and said that if the legislation were passed it would be another blow to many of the world’s poorest people.

“Cutting aid when poverty rises so sharply while allowing billionaires to accumulate ever greater wealth is appalling. Rather than denying aid to those who need it most, we should ask those who can afford it to pay their fair share.“, a point.