We are the 99% - Take the wealth off the 1% Socialist Party placard, photo Paul Mattsson

We are the 99% – Take the wealth off the 1% Socialist Party placard, photo Paul Mattsson   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Tax the 1%

Sam Morecroft

We all know the score. Put your hand in the till at work, you’re gonna get sacked. Snatch someone’s purse or wallet and you’ll likely have the police after you. Hold up a bank and you’ll get 15 years in prison, minimum, just like that.

Robbery comes with consequences – for us. But not for them. When it comes to the super rich – the people who own the likes of Google, Vodafone and British American Tobacco – they’re free to rob taxpayers blind. They pay virtually no tax, and face no more serious consequences than a cheery handshake and a knowing smile from Chancellor Osborne and the rest of the Tory millionaires.

Despite the huge wealth these corporations possess, the reality is they are allowed a free pass in Britain and around the world.

More importantly, that’s what austerity is all about – getting rid of everything these billions of pounds of avoided tax should be paying for. Austerity is about allowing the super-rich to rob us blind, while their politicians butcher the jobs and services we rely on.

It’s time to fight back. It’s time to take the wealth off the 1% and put it to good use, democratically planning a society fit for all to live in.

  • Close the tax loopholes and reverse HMRC cuts – collect the £120 billion avoided tax
  • Nationalise the banks, big business and tax avoiders under democratic control
  • End austerity – take the wealth off the 1% and invest it in jobs and services