Wealth of poorest half of the world fell 11% in 2018
‘Poor people suffer twice from being deprived of basic services and also paying a higher burden of taxation’
Nairobi — Tax systems that put a high burden on the poor mean public services are underfunded, stretching the gap between rich and poor and fuelling global public anger, Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International, said on Monday. The Nairobi-headquarted charity said in a report that a new billionaire was created every two days in 2018, just as the poorest half of the world's population saw their wealth decline 11%. The report, released on Monday as political and business leaders gather for the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, said governments are increasingly underfunding public services and failing to clamp down on tax dodging. "Poor people suffer twice from being deprived of basic services and also paying a higher burden of taxation," Byanyima said in an interview. Billionaire fortunes increased 12% in 2018, or $2.5bn a day, while the 3.8-billion poorest people saw their wealth drop $500m every day, Byanyima added. The charity said tax rates for t...
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