G20 Social final report should propose taxing the super‑rich
Márcio Macêdo, the Brazilian president’s secretary-general on Thursday (Nov. 7) stressed the importance of society’s participation in the discussions at the G20 summit meeting, to be held in Rio de Janeiro this month. He noted that Brazil’s decision to create a third track for the group—G20 Social—is a way of listening to society’s concerns about the issues debated by heads of state, ministers, and other authorities.
One of the proposals to be included in the final report, which will be delivered to President Lula, will deal with the taxation of the super-rich, he said. Taxing the world’s top two percent, he went on, will only affect three thousand people, who hold around $15 trillion in assets. The revenue would be used to fight hunger and poverty and also to tackle climate change.
G20 Social
G20 Social was created following a decision by Brazil, which holds the group’s rotating presidency. Its summit will be held in Rio from November 14 to 16, preceding the meeting of leaders of the world’s largest economies, which takes place on November 18 and 19. The idea is to increase the participation of non-governmental actors in the group’s activities and decision-making processes.
“President Lula is calling on the people to take part in this process. The big picture at the G20 will be social participation,” the secretary said in a TV interview on EBC’s Canal Gov. “It will be a really rich environment marked by plurality,” he added.
The debates, he added, will revolve around three major themes: the fight against hunger, poverty, and inequality; sustainable development, including the debate on climate change and a just energy transition; and the reform of global governance.
“At the end there will be a summary document with the vision of the people and the organized social movement which will be delivered to President Lula and then forwarded to the G20 heads of state. The idea, Secretary Macêdo said, is for these contributions to be incorporated into the leaders’ main declaration.
