According to a report drawn up by Oxfam, 1% of the richest hold today, alone, more than 45% of the world’s wealth. In Belgium, the richest 1% own almost a quarter of all the country’s wealth. That is more than 70% of the national population.
The observation is simple, the billionaires are more numerous… and richer: in ten years, their fortune has doubled. For example, for every $100 of wealth created, half goes directly into the pockets of the very wealthy.
To counter this, Oxfam has written a report and several measures are proposed. Among them, a wealth tax, but also an increase in taxation.
Another point in Oxfam’s sights: the “superprofits” of companies, like the billions recorded by oil groups in recent months, thanks in particular to the surge in energy prices.
Concretely, all these measures have two objectives: to reduce the number of billionaires, but also their capital. The goal: to return to the situation in 2012, before the numbers got carried away.