Activists with inflatable jet outside EU Parliament demand higher taxes for super-rich

Charities Avaaz, WeMove and Oxfam were joined by several young activists to highlight wealth inequality outside the European Parliament in Brussels. 

Protesters used an inflatable jet in order to draw attention to the lavish lifestyles of the super-rich. 

According to a report from Oxfam published in April this year, EU governments are losing out on €286.5 billion in revenue annually due to their failure to adequately tax the rich. 

The amount equals out to roughly €33 million per hour. 

Julian Desiderio, a policy advisor on tax and inequality at Oxfam Belgium told Euronews, “If we are able to have a wealth tax on the super-rich, we can have funds to help save our planet. Funds to help communities affected by the climate disaster, including farmers”.

Several MEPs from the Greens, the Left and the Socialists & Democrats party visited the protest. 

Private jets that belong to the super wealthy makeup for a significant imbalance in carbon emissions. According to Oxfam, a person from the richest 1 percent emits on average 14 times more carbon (CO2) than a person in the bottom 50 percent.

The activists, seemingly aware of this connection, held signs saying, “Time to Land, Taxes on the Super-Rich”.