Demanding a tax on the super-rich to save public services

In the lead-up to the Autumn Budget, 38 Degrees supporters have been campaigning hard for a simple, powerful demand: tax the super-rich to save our public services and protect our planet. 

Alongside partners including Tax Justice UK, Oxfam GB, Greenpeace UK, and Green New Deal Rising, we delivered 724,438 petition signatures from people across the country calling for fairer taxation. We even brought a GIANT cheque straight to the Treasury to show Chancellor Rachel Reeves exactly how much money could be raised by properly taxing the wealthiest. We were joined by Patriotic Millionaires – a group of high-net-worth individuals who, like 80% of all UK millionaires, back being taxed more.

Thanks to 38 Degrees supporters, 3,865 people also sent fake “tax returns” to the Chancellor, each one urging her to introduce a tax on the super-rich. These came with personal messages about the realities people are facing: the cost of living crisis, pressure on pensioners and low-paid workers, the widening inequality gap, and the urgent need to invest in our public services.

One of those messages came from Peter in Christchurch, who has been forced to use a food bank multiple times. He wrote:

“Dear Chancellor, please do not increase the burden on ordinary taxpayers. Having worked from ages 17 to 71, I never imagined myself going to a food bank but I have done so twice now. Please look into ways of taxing the super-rich; a tiny percentage of their wealth will solve our financial problems.”

The message from the public is loud and clear: those with the broadest shoulders should pay their fair share. The Government must listen, fix the system that’s no longer working for ordinary people, and use this revenue to rebuild and protect the public services we all rely on.