Bezos’s latest launch proves it’s time to tax the rich

 
 

While the ultra-rich fund celebrity spaceflights, the world faces rising poverty and climate collapse.

Momentum is building at the G20 for a billionaire tax that could fund real solutions—but it needs massive public pressure. 

Tell the G20: tax the rich. 

 Sign the petition 

John,

If Jeff Bezos can afford to send Katy Perry to space, he can afford to pay his taxes.

Billionaires are joyriding to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere—on Bezos’s own space company, Blue Origin. His latest launch featured a celebrity crew on an 11-minute thrill ride, while millions on Earth face poverty, displacement, and climate disaster.

But here’s the solution they don’t want you to hear: A 2% wealth tax on the world’s richest 3,000 billionaires could raise $250 billion every single year — enough to save lives, protect ecosystems, and fund a just transition to a greener future.

Last year, Brazil boldly proposed this tax at the G20 summit, with strong support from nations across Africa and Latin America. But the oligarchs of the world will do everything they can to block it. Why? Because they’d rather dodge taxes and hoard their obscene wealth instead of pay their fair share.

But 2025 could be the turning point. This year's G20 summit is being hosted by South Africa, and its finance minister has supported the proposal. If we all pile on now, we can make sure this rises to the top of the agenda and more countries follow suit. 

Tell the G20: tax the rich

A billionaire tax isn’t some radical idea—it’s an achievable solution whose time has come. 

In 2024 alone, billionaire fortunes grew three times faster than the previous year, pushing the world closer to an era where we will see the first trillionaires. Meanwhile, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes are becoming deadlier and more frequent, leaving millions to suffer.

A global billionaire tax could fund the urgent climate solutions we need, protect communities on the frontlines, and create a greener, fairer world for us all. But until there is massive public demand, lawmakers will continue to serve the oligarchy instead of the people they represent.

Now we have a chance to change that, but we need everyone's help to make our call impossible to ignore. Add your name and share this widely: 

Tell the G20: tax the rich

The Ekō community has proven its power before—forcing insurers to drop fossil fuel projects, holding banks accountable for climate destruction, and taking on the biggest polluters. This year we can do it again with billionaires - are you in?

 Sign the petition 

Thanks for all that you do,
Deborah and the team at Ekō


More information:

Billionaires' wealth soared in 2024, with 4 minted every week, says Oxfam
Al Jazeera. 20 January 2025

 
 

 

 


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