Britain’s ‘Patriotic Millionaires’: make us pay more tax
From former footballer Gary Lineker to musician Brian Eno, a group of millionaires is calling on the Government to impose a 2 per cent tax on the assets of individuals with a net worth of over ten million pounds
The group is called “Patriotic Millionaires” and its leader is Gary Lineker, one of England’s most famous former footballers, now a television pundit. Together with around 120 other wealthy individuals, they have written an open letter to the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, asking him to impose a 2 per cent tax on the assets of people with a net worth of over ten million pounds.
“We want to be taxed more. We can afford it”, reads the unusual appeal, which explains that “the wealthiest can do more, and many of us want to do more”. The letter makes it clear that this is not about “taxing those who get up in the morning to go to work every day, but the super-rich whose income comes from the assets they own”.
The aim is to reduce the gap between rich and poor, which has widened since the great financial crisis, to support public infrastructure and small and medium-sized enterprises, and to create a fairer and more meritocratic society.
“Millionaires are patriotic,” states the letter entitled “Proud to pay”. Among the many signatories are musician Brian Eno, crime writer Val McDermid, film director Richard Curtis and former trader Gary Stevenson.
Burnham’s programme on the cost of living
Burnham has stated that his mission is to ease the cost of living and help families who are struggling to make ends meet, and in his first week in office he has already announced a series of measures such as the abolition of VAT on electricity bills, a £2 cap on bus fares and a 20 per cent reduction in taxes for clubs, bars and pubs.
