United States

Billionaires blast into space as billions suffer on planet Earth

July 20, 2021

In response to Jeff Bezos’ space flight scheduled for Wednesday NZ time, Deepak Xavier, Oxfam International’s Global Head of Inequality Campaign, said:

“We’ve now reached stratospheric inequality. Billionaires burning into space, away from a world of pandemic, climate change and starvation. 11 people are likely now dying of hunger each minute while Bezos prepares for an 11-minute personal space flight. This is human folly, not human achievement.

“The ultra-rich are being propped up by unfair tax systems and pitiful labor protections. US billionaires got around $1.8 trillion richer since the beginning of the pandemic and nine new billionaires were created by Big Pharma’s monopoly on the COVID-19 vaccines. Bezos pays next to no US income tax but can spend $7.5 billion on his own aerospace adventure. Bezos’ fortune has almost doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. He could afford to pay for everyone on Earth to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and still be richer than he was when the pandemic began.

“Billionaires should pay their fair share of taxes for our hospitals, schools, roads and social care, too. Governments must adopt a much stronger global minimum tax on multinational corporations and look at new revenues. A wealth tax, for example of just 3 percent, would generate $6 billion a year from Bezos’ $200 billion fortune alone ―a sixth of what the US spends on foreign aid. A COVID-19 profits tax on Amazon would yield $11 billion, enough to vaccinate nearly 600 million people.

“What we need is a fair tax system that allows more investment into ending hunger and poverty, into education and healthcare, and into saving the planet from the growing climate crisis ―rather than leaving it.”

Notes:

Oxfam recently reported that global food prices have risen by 40 percent in the past year, which has contributed to 20 million more people having fallen into catastrophic conditions of hunger and a six-fold increase in famine-like conditions. Download Oxfam’s report: “The Hunger Virus Multiplies.”

Oxfam is calling for a response to the ongoing crisis that prioritises support for workers and small businesses. It includes establishing a COVID-19 pandemic profits tax to ensure shared sacrifice, and the redeployment of resources away from those cashing in on the pandemic and toward those bearing the burden. For more information, download Oxfam’s report: “Power, Profits and the Pandemic: From corporate extraction for the few to an economy that works for all”.

Jeff Bezos’ net wealth has increased from $113 billion (Forbes’ Annual World’s Billionaires List, March 2020) to $207.9 billion (Forbes’ Real Time Billionaire List, 16 July 2021). The cost of vaccinating the world’s adult population was calculated as follows: two doses at $7 per dose for 5 billion people, for a total of $70 billion. This is based on the average cost per dose. Oxfam does not endorse such high prices for vaccines and, as part of The People’s Vaccine Alliance, is campaigning for patent-free access to allow generic manufacturers to produce COVID-19 vaccines to drive down prices.

Oxfam applauds president Biden’s day one executive actions.

January 21, 2021

Oxfam applauded President Biden’s expected efforts on his first day in office to roll back some of the Trump administration’s most unjust policies, including ending the discriminatory Muslim Ban, rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, joining global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and proposing sweeping immigration legislation that better reflects the values of our country.

“On the campaign trail, presidential candidate Biden promised to take urgent action to put an end to some of the most damaging policies enacted by President Trump. On his first day in office, President Biden did just that, pointing our country on a new, more just course,” said Abby Maxman, Oxfam America’s President and CEO.

Oxfam praised President Biden’s move to officially rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change, as it is the best way to work with other countries to address the climate crisis.

“The US’s exit from the Paris agreement was indefensible, pointless, and self-defeating. The US is back at the table now, with a renewed mandate for ambitious global climate action and urgency to make up for lost time,” said Kristen Hite, Oxfam America’s Associate Director for Climate Change. “It’s got to be an all-out sprint for bold and inclusive action that protects people and planet.”

While rejoining the Paris agreement is crucial move, Oxfam warned that it is really just the first step. The climate crisis is affecting every country and every continent, but it is the poorest people who are least responsible for the problem who suffer the most. That’s why reducing emissions must be coupled with efforts to help frontline communities cope with mounting climate impacts.

“Addressing the needs of the vulnerable must be at the heart of the Biden administration’s climate agenda, continued Hite. “The Biden administration must step up to do its fair share to address climate change here at home and enable the poorest and most vulnerable around the world to do the same for themselves. We must bridge borders and stand up for the right to a livable planet for all.”

Oxfam also praised President Biden’s executive order repealing the discriminatory Muslim ban that was rooted in divisiveness, fearmongering, and hate.

“By repealing the Muslim Ban on day one, President Biden has made it clear to the world that banning people based on their identity does not reflect American values, said Isra Chaker, Oxfam America’s Migration and Protection Campaign lead. “No community should be discriminated against because of their religion or where they come from.”

President Trump’s administration waged an all-out assault on the principles of tolerance and inclusion that are the bedrock of this country founded by refugees and immigrants. Oxfam called on Congress to ensure that no future president can impose similar discriminatory bans by passing the landmark NO BAN Act.

Oxfam also applauded the comprehensive, progressive new immigration measures President Biden is spearheading, which include rebuilding the US refugee program, creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people, and increased efforts to address the root causes of forced migration in Central America.

“We hope this is the beginning of a wholesale repudiation of the anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, anti-Muslim mentality of the Trump administration,” said Chaker. “President Biden can save lives, restore America’s proud legacy as a refuge for people fleeing persecution, and unleash the contributions of immigrants by undertaking a number of reforms that don’t just go back to the pre-Trump era but move forward to build a better, more just, and more humane immigration system.”

Oxfam has worked in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras for decades and knows firsthand the importance of addressing the root cause of forced migration, including efforts to strengthen the rule of law, combat corruption, confront violence, strengthen democratic governance and respect for human rights, and address the structural causes of poverty and inequality.

“Every year, thousands of people in Central America are forced to leave their homes to escape violence, criminal gangs, instability, poverty, and economic hardship,” said Chaker. “Until the root causes are addressed and the situation in these countries improves, people will continue to flee in search of safety and a better life.”

Oxfam also praised President Biden’s reversal of the withdrawal process from the World Health Organization. This unprecedented pandemic calls for a response that engages with experts and promotes local leadership throughout communities, carried out with a sense of shared humanity. By recommitting to the World Health Organization today, President Biden is recommitting the United States to the global fight against the threat of global pandemics like COVID-19.

“A global pandemic requires global solutions. As this global pandemic has only reinforced, America can only be great – and safe – when we work with others to solve the problems facing humanity,” said Noah Gottschalk, Oxfam America’s Global Policy Lead. “No one individual, community, or country can deal with this crisis alone. Only international cooperation and solidarity can save lives and restore the global economy. We must work together, in our communities and across borders, with dignity and compassion. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”

Oxfam called on the new Biden administration to build on these critical first day actions with wind in their sails. This includes taking action to enact rules to protect the health of workers at risk because of COVID-19, ending US support for the war in Yemen, and doing everything possible to make a People’s Vaccine free, fair and available as soon as possible to everyone in the US and around the world. Importantly, President-elect Biden must quickly work with Congress to enact a transformational COVID-19 recovery plan that helps families cope with the economic impacts of the pandemic; get people back to work; rein in corporate power; help rebuild our economy from the bottom up; and begin to tackle the economic; gender, and racial inequalities that have been exacerbated by this crisis, here and around the world.

“In the midst of a global pandemic and facing a climate crisis, we have an enormous task ahead of us, to rebuild while imagining something new,” said Maxman. “Now is not the time for half-measures or tinkering around the edges. Now is the time for bigger, bolder action that will deliver a more resilient and dignified future where everyone can thrive, not just survive.”

Oxfam Congratulates President-Elect Joe Biden

November 9, 2020

Oxfam congratulates President-elect Joe Biden in his hard-fought election victory to be the next President of the United States, and calls on him to deliver on a bold, new agenda that takes to scale fighting against structural injustices of poverty and inequality, and immediate action on climate change.

“After such a divisive moment in our history, we must all come together— across political parties and physical borders — to tackle our biggest challenges, from COVID-19 to climate change, from inequality to injustice,” said Abby Maxman, President and CEO of Oxfam America. “Americans across the country have shown tremendous resilience during a pandemic that has brought so much hardship for many of us, dealing with the grim realities of lost jobs, lost loved ones, a health crisis, social distancing, virtual schooling, and social uprising. As we recommit ourselves to pursue climate, gender, racial, and economic justice in the United States and around the world, we must put on our masks, roll up our sleeves, and get to work.”

Oxfam urges President-elect Biden to urgently follow through on his campaign promises to work with Congress to enact a transformational COVID-19 recovery plan that puts an end to the pandemic, saves the economy, and tackles the root causes of economic inequality that have been severely exacerbated by this crisis.

Specifically, we are calling on President-elect Biden and Congress to:

Enact a People’s Vaccine that is free and accessible to all, based on need not wealth.
Pass a multi-trillion-dollar economic recovery plan that challenges corporate power and invests in millions of dignified, green jobs for the people hardest hit by COVID, especially women and people of color.
Work in partnership with our allies to provide significant new funding and debt-relief to the global fight against COVID-19.

To truly address the root causes of our current crisis, this plan must include reforms that protect the rights of workers and be paid for by finally ensuring the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

Oxfam looks forward to working with President-elect Biden to usher in a new era that will prioritize peace, health, gender justice, and environmental integrity; enshrine, promote, and protect the human rights of all, recommit to multilateralism, and seek to tackle income inequality once and for all.

“This pandemic has shown us how our gravest challenges in the US are often the same challenges people face around the world,” said Maxman. “Systemic racism, economic inequality, gender discrimination, unequal access to healthcare, climate change, the refugee crisis: these issues can only be solved if we stand up for the equal rights of every person and commit to reaching beyond our borders. We call on President-elect Biden to strengthen alliances and fight for dignity for all.”

Oxfam’s reaction to the new US tax plan

September 27, 2017

In response to the tax plan outline proposed jointly by President Trump and Congressional leaders, Paul O’Brien, Oxfam America’s Vice-President for Policy and Advocacy, made the following statement:

“The tax plan introduced today is a blueprint for increased inequality. There is no doubt that the biggest winners in our global economy are those at the top, and this proposal will skew that even further.

“Instead of the real reform the President promised on the campaign trail, this plan offers more tax cuts for the rich and budget cuts for the poor. While President Trump was elected on his promise to fix the rigged political and economic system, these proposals will only further rig the rules in favor of the rich and powerful while harming poor families in the US and in developing countries worldwide.

“Every year corporate tax dodging costs Americans approximately $135 billion. The same tricks, schemes, and offshore tax havens sap an estimated $100 billion from poor countries – revenue that should go towards building schools, bridges and hospitals. The plans released today do nothing to solve these problems.

“Worse yet, the ideas offered today perversely reward the very companies that dodge the most taxes. This plan will incentivize further use of offshore tax havens that harm America and poor countries alike. Huge tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations will have to be paid for by cuts in anti-poverty programs at a time when need for global engagement and solutions to inequality is only growing. If anything the plans will incentivize companies to offshore more jobs and profits.

“The President and Congress should go back to the drawing board and start over with a plan that works with our allies around the world to stem tax haven abuse. Only through cooperation can we avoid a global race to the bottom where everyone but the richest will suffer.”

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Oxfam condemns US decision to withdraw from Paris Climate Agreement

June 1, 2017

“President Trump claims pulling out of Paris puts America first, this couldn’t be more wrong. This move puts America last in the race to build a clean, resilient future. Everyday Americans and frontline communities around the world will pay the price.”

US companies stashing $1.6 trillion off-shore

April 12, 2017

The 50 biggest American companies, including global brands Pfizer, Goldman Sachs, GE, Chevron, Wal-Mart, and Apple, stashed $1.6 trillion of US-based profits offshore – $200 billion more than the previous year – according to a new report by Oxfam.