Reaction: Forbes Billionaires list

Published on

Commenting on today’s publication of the annual Forbes Billionaires List, Max Lawson, Head of Policy on Inequality for Oxfam, said:  “Billionaires’ fortunes rise and fall but they remain the big winners in a broken economic system that sees wealth unfairly concentrated at the top.

“Around the world, super-rich individuals and corporations are paying lower rates of tax then they have in decades – while millions of people struggle to get by on poverty wages, and without the education or health services that could help lift them out of poverty.

“Governments need to ensure wealth is fairly taxed and invest the money in healthcare and education for all.”

\ Ends

Notes to editors

In the decade following the financial crisis the number of billionaires nearly doubled – from 1,125 in 2008 to 2,208 in 2018.

Oxfam’s latest report on global inequality, Public Good or Private Wealth? reveals how wealth is often under-taxed while public services are under-funded.

Press contact

For comments, interviews, or information please contact the Oxfam GB Media Team: