Hi, I’m about to ask you to sign a petition calling on the World Economic Forum to discuss taxing the rich at their next conference – but first, I want to explain why it’s so important. (If you’re already on board, you can sign the petition here.)

You may have heard about the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos. Every year, the world’s wealthiest people – including heads of state and the occasional celebrity – gather to discuss philanthropic efforts. Sounds like a valiant effort, right? Here’s the problem:

As my Civic Action colleague Paul Constant pointed out in his recent Business Insider piece, these billionaires gather to pat themselves on the back about their philanthropy and navel gaze about the world’s problems while ignoring the most obvious solution: paying more in their own taxes. 

Even worse, the same “philanthropists” who attend the conference in Davos spend untold billions lobbying for self-enriching policies like tax cuts for the wealthy and the deregulation of the financial industry while pushing against unions, minimum-wage hikes, and other policies that empower average workers.

That’s why we need your help to put taxes back on the agenda at the WEF meeting in Davos this year. Will you send a letter to tell the WEF that they NEED to discuss taxing the rich?

Historian Rutger Bregman made waves in 2019 when he told the affluent audience at Davos that they were ignoring the solution that mattered most. "Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is bullshit in my opinion," he famously told the hostile crowd, adding that, "it feels like I'm at a firefighters’ conference and no one's allowed to speak about water."

Bregman was totally right. This year, let’s tell the zillionaires of Davos to stop praising themselves while refusing to discuss – and even working against – the solution that matters most. We’re aiming to send thousands of messages calling on the WEF to discuss taxing the rich, and we need you to sign on now:

If enough supporters sign, we can make waves at the WEF this year: Will you sign now to advocate for taxes on the super-wealthy?

Thanks for your advocacy, 

Jack Sorensen
Team Civic Action