I would never have imagined that my new hero would be a mega-rich American investor. But when Warren Buffett called for rich Americans like himself to pay higher taxes, I started to think that perhaps we are entering a new phase in humanity – where greed is not necessarily seen as good, where some of the wealthy are prepared to share and where the contributions of the not so well off are considered as important as those who have “made it”. Warren Buffet says :
“While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places……….
If you make money with money, as some of my super-rich friends do, your percentage may be a bit lower than mine. But if you earn money from a job, your percentage will surely exceed mine — most likely by a lot.”
It reminds me of Sam Morgan who said last year
“The amount of tax people pay in different areas is not fair. The people that pay the most tax are working people.”
Back in the US of A Manhatten Millionaire Lawrence Benenson has joined the call saying :
“How much money do you really need? Give it back to the government, pave some roads.”
Scores of New York’s millionaires have signed on to campaigns encouraging “tax equality,”such as the group Responsible Wealth, that includes Edith Everett, a retired Wall Street stockbroker who says :
“People who are just scrimping and saving to pay their rent, they shouldn’t pay one penny more. Rich people make their money on the backs of the workers.”
This is refreshing. May we hear more like it in New Zealand.
No problem with people doing well. Big problem with not paying fair share.