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I am a practitioner of capitalism and a member of the 0.1 percent.

I have started or funded 37 companies.  I was the first outside investor in Amazon. I have been rewarded obscenely for my success, with a life that the other 99.99 percent of Americans can’t even imagine. Yet the most important lesson that decades of experience at the heart of market capitalism has taught me is that morality and justice are the fundamental prerequisites for prosperity and economic growth. Greed is not good.

The problem is that almost every authority figure – in economics, politics and the media – tells us otherwise. You will hear plenty this week, as the global elite converge on the Swiss mountain resort of Davos to discuss the challenges facing our economies and our world.  Yet, I can guarantee that despite all the talk, there will be no substantive questioning of the immoral foundation of our modern economies.

The current inequality crisis is the direct result of this moral failure. Our exclusive, highly unequal society based on extreme wealth for the few may seem sturdy and inevitable right now, but it will collapse. Before long, the pitchforks will come out and the ensuing chaos will benefit no one. Not wealthy people like me – and certainly not the poorest people who have already been left behind.

To avert this existential crisis, we must drive a stake through the heart of the neoliberal religion that instantly rewards greed at the expense of our future. We must replace it with a new economic framework that recognises that justice and inclusion are not the result of economic prosperity, but rather the cause of economic prosperity.

Only a society that seeks to include all its people in the economy can succeed in the long term: no company, and certainly no billionaire is an island.  We owe our wealth to society – to the millions working each day for us at home and across the world, often for poverty wages.  We owe our fortunes to governments, who provide the education, the infrastructure, and the research investment on which we build our empires.  None of the companies I have invested in would have been able to function without this.

A fundamental prerequisite for a more just society is that the wealthiest should pay their fair share of tax. However, as Oxfam’s inequality report, “Private Wealth or Public Good”, demonstrates, this is not happening. Here in the United States, the richest in society – people like me – have just benefited from one of the biggest tax cuts in decades.  Meanwhile our public schools are crumbling, and our healthcare system continues to exclude millions, leading to huge pain and suffering. The top rates of tax on the wealthiest people and corporations are lower than they have been for decades. Unprecedented levels of tax avoidance and evasion ensure that the super-rich pay even less.

There can be no moral justification for this behaviour beyond a discredited neoliberal dogma that if everyone maximises their selfishness, the world will somehow be a better place: that ever-lower taxation on the richest will somehow benefit us all; that health and education left to the mercy of the free market, available only to those who have the money to pay for them, is somehow more efficient. It has no economic justification, either. As Henry Ford famously identified, you can’t grown a business or an economy if people are impoverished.

I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that the richest in our society can and should pay a lot more tax to help build a more equal society and prosperous economy. As Oxfam shows, a fairer tax system could help ensure that every child gets an education, and that no one lives in fear of getting sick because they can’t afford their medical bills.

Ultimately it is our humanity, not the absence of it, that is the true source of economic growth and a flourishing civilization. This is not just an imperative for activists and academics but for all of us – including every billionaire. It is no longer a question of whether we can afford to do this but rather whether we can afford not to.

Nick Hanauer is an American entrepreneur and venture capitalist.

Every January I get a glimpse into a different world.

A world of billionaires, of business and political elites, cosying up to one other in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum.

With more people on the hunt for ethical Christmas presents, an Oxfam Unwrapped card is a gift you can feel good about giving to someone you care about.

With these unique cards, you can make a loved one smile, while fighting poverty and protecting the environment, one gift at a time. Here’s how Oxfam Unwrapped makes an impact.

1. Helping people to overcome income inequality

Oxfam NZ’s work is focussed on providing families in the Pacific with sustainable, resilient pathways out of poverty. When you buy a gift such as a goat, chicken, onions or honey bees, you’re helping set up small businesses in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. The animals are well looked after and the aspiring farmers are offered support and training to give their ventures the best chance at success.

2. Improving access to education

We’re working with schools and families around the world to give children, especially the next generation of girls, a quality education. Oxfam’s approach is wide-ranging and includes improving facilities and the quality of teaching, inspiring communities to value education more highly, and providing school supplies.

3. Supporting those most in need

When tropical cyclones hit the Pacific, Oxfam is on the ground helping those who have been affected with hygiene kits and safe water, before going on to help communities rebuild their lives. Cards such as A Soft Landing After a Hard Fall or Water for a Family help to provide necessities for those affected by natural and man-made disasters, such as refugee crises.

4. Promoting gender equality

Educate and empower the next generation of women’s rights activists in places like Vanuatu with the Mana Wahine card. Women are supported with opportunities to generate sustainable livelihoods, and aspiring activists are trained in effective ways of campaigning for gender equality and the eradication of violence against women.

5. Go plastic free

Christmas Day can easily lead to an overload of waste, so we’ve made sure that your gift comes in organic, compostable and recyclable packaging and courier bags. Or even better: select a digital (PDF) card which you can download and send to be completely waste-free.

6. Showing kindness to animals

Our farmers given training to provide their animals with the best possible care and on visits to our programmes we find them healthy and enjoying life. Products we include alongside our cards in our Premium Gifts, such as Ethique Shampoo Bars, are cruelty-free and save on plastic.

7. Fair Trade all the way

Not only will you help aspiring farmers get a fair price for their produce, all Oxfam Unwrapped promotional products, like Fair Trade Chocolate, are ethically sourced from small producers. This means those all along the supply chain are paid a fair price for what they sell, leading to a more equal world for everyone involved.

8. Spreading good vibes and generosity

By gifting a gift card like Feed a Family for Christmas, you can enjoy your festive meal, with the knowledge that you’ve helped a family in need purchase food during a hard time. Cards like these help to provide vouchers for families, like Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar, so they’re able to purchase necessary food and spices.

Shop now to see the full range and learn more about the communities each Oxfam Unwrapped gift card supports.