The fortunes of the ten richest people in the world have doubled since the beginning of the pandemic, when the incomes of 99% of humanity fell, according to a report by Oxfam published today.
“Rising economic inequalities, racial inequalities, gender inequalities and states are destroying our world,” the NGO said in a report entitled “Inequality Kills.”
The wealth that billionaires have amassed since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic has been “the largest increase ever recorded, at $ 5 billion, to reach its highest point,” at 13.8 trillion. dollars.
Among the ten richest people, according to Forbes magazine, are Elon Musk, head of Tesla, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Bernard Arno of LVHM, Bill Gates of Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway and Larry Ellison of Oracle.
The NGO added that “we can tackle extreme poverty through progressive taxation” and public and free health systems for all. At the same time, Oxfam also recommends that trade unions not be barred and that copyright on vaccines be removed.
According to the NGO, inequalities kill “at least 21,000 people a day”, a number based on the number of deaths worldwide due to lack of access to health, domestic violence, hunger and the climate crisis.
“An emergency tax of 99% on the income raised by the ten richest people during the pandemic would allow enough vaccines to be produced around the world, provide medical and social care to all, finance climate adaptation and reduce gender-based violence. 80 countries “, cited Oxfam as an example.
The NGO clarified that even if that happened, “these people will have $ 8 billion more than before the pandemic.”
“The billionaires had an amazing pandemic. “Central banks were pouring millions upon millions of dollars into markets to save the economy, many of which ended up in the pockets of billionaires.”
The World Economic Forum in Davos has warned that large disparities in access to vaccines against covid-19 are likely to weaken the fight for major global goals, such as tackling climate change.
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