Richard Curtis among 83 millionaires demanding higher tax rates to help fight coronavirus: ‘Tax us. Tax us. Tax us’

‘We are not the ones caring for the sick in intensive care wards ... But we do have money, lots of it’

Filmmaker Richard Curtis is among 83 millionaires to sign an open letter calling for “immediate, substantial” and ”permanent” tax increases for the wealthy.

The Four Weddings and a Funeral director put his name to the document as part of a group calling itself Millionaires for Humanity, which also includes Disney heir Abigail Disney.

The letter, published online, proposed that money raised from the tax hikes would be used to help society recover from the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“As Covid-19 strikes the world,” reads the letter, “millionaires like us have a critical role to play in healing our world.

“No, we are not the ones caring for the sick in intensive care wards. We are not driving the ambulances that will bring the ill to hospitals. We are not restocking grocery store shelves or delivering food door to door. But we do have money, lots of it. Money that is desperately needed now and will continue to be needed in the years ahead, as our world recovers from this crisis.”

Other signatories of the letter include Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield and Irish venture capitalist John O’Farrell.

The letter suggested that the crisis could push half a billion people below the poverty line, and said that “Covid-19 can’t be solved with charity, no matter how generous”.

It ended with a simple plea: “So please. Tax us. Tax us. Tax us. It is the right choice. It is the only choice.”

You can read the full text here.