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While billions of citizens around the world wake up every morning with the idea, not always attractive, of going to work to keep their bank accounts afloat and improve their standard of living, the Austro-German Marlene Engelhorn, 31, seeks the way to drastically reduce the zeros of your fortune.
In reality, she wants much more than that.
For almost two years she has championed the cause that rich people like her, heir to around 4,000 million euros as a descendant of the founders of the German multinational chemical company BASF, pay more taxes.
With that message she stood this week at the great annual event of capitalism, the Davos Forum, where her wealthy status has made her its most famous activist.
Founder of
Tax me now
, which, like other initiatives that emerged in the United States, brings together millionaires from Austria, Switzerland and Germany, Engelhorn rejects the idea of philanthropy as a way for the wealthiest to contribute to improving the society.
She advocates instead structural solutions that do not depend on the good will of the wealthy.
And he has signed, along with more than 250 people from among the wealthiest on the planet, an open letter titled
Proud to Pay More
in which they call on the political leaders meeting this week in Davos to tax more the rich to combat inequality.
Among other names, it is also signed by actor Brian Cox, protagonist in the series
Succession
, and Abigail Disney, heir to the animation company.
Engelhorn, who lives in Vienna, promised to give 90% of her fortune to the State, but after the death of her grandmother Traudl Engelhorn in September 2022, she cried out about the fact that money flowed from one generation to the next. another freely, without fees involved.
“I have inherited a fortune and with it a power, without ever having done anything to deserve it.
And the State doesn't even want me to pay the inheritance tax.”
50 chosen to decide the fate of 25 million
For this reason, this year it has embarked on searching for more original ways of redistribution.
He randomly sent out 10,000 invitations to Austrian citizens to participate in a forum to brainstorm ideas for redistributing €25 million.
From among those interested, 50 people and 15 substitutes will be chosen, those in charge of elucidating the most appropriate destination for that money, who will be paid the travel expenses to meet and will receive 1,200 euros per work week until they agree on where they will travel to. funds.
In the event that there is no majority consensus, the funds will remain in Engelhorn's account.
“If politicians don't do their job and redistribute, then I will have to redistribute my wealth,” the heiress explained in a recent statement.
“Many people struggle to make ends meet with a full-time job and pay taxes on every euro they earn from their job,” she said.
In contrast, she criticizes that people like her, whom the lottery of her birth placed in one of the best-positioned families in Europe without any merit, do not suffer tax burdens as heavy as the average citizen.
“I see this as a failure of policy, and if policy fails, then citizens will have to deal with it themselves,” she said, referring to her intention to randomly turn to some of her neighbors to distribute the money. her money.
Engelhorn's insistence is bearing fruit in the German-speaking world.
On his movement's website they claim that 80,000 people have already signed the petition for the rich to pay more taxes.
And in a manifesto they provide data to justify his initiative.
They claim that in Germany, the richest 10% own 62.1% of all assets, and in Austria, 1% of the population owns 40% of the wealth.
"This can not go on like this.
Wealth inequality as it exists today undermines democracy and harms society,” they conclude.
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