VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis asked this Friday that the rich share their assets and pay more taxes in order to distribute them among the poor and the middle class, during his participation in the meeting of Popular Movements organized in the Vatican.
“They say that the system allowed rich people to amass fortune (…) and also that there should be more taxes on millionaires. That is very good and I pray that the economically powerful do so and open themselves to sharing assets that they have.” because they all derive from creation. All goods derive from there and all goods have a universal destiny,” said the Pope.
Although he believes “that it is difficult for this to happen,” he added that “if that very small percentage of billionaires who monopolize most of the planet’s wealth were encouraged to share it, but not as alms, but rather to share it fraternally, if they dare to to share it, how good it would be for that very thing. And how fair it would be for everyone.”
“I ask the privileged in this world to be encouraged to take this step, they will be much happier and we will be even more brothers,” he said at this event that commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Pope’s first meeting with the various organizations of women workers. and humble workers, excluded and without rights, from the five continents.
He also pointed out that “it is paradoxical that many times great fortunes have little to do with merit. They are incomes that are inheritance, they are the result of the exploitation of people and the plundering of nature. They are the product of financial speculation or tax evasion. or they derive from corruption or organized crime. In general, many fortunes are amassed this way.
And he warned that in the face of many injustices “it opens the way to social division. And social division opens the way to verbal violence and verbal violence to physical violence. And physical violence to the war of all against all.”
He cited, without giving details of the country, the example of the Police repressing a workers’ demonstration with “pepper spray.” “And they had no right to claim what was theirs. Why were they communist rioters? The government stood firm and instead of investing in social justice, they paid for the pepper spray, it suited them.”
“I have been told not to be so hard on the rich. But Jesus was harder than me. It is true that they create jobs and economic development, but the fruits of economic development are not well distributed. Without fair and rational policies that accompany the social justice, the logic of human waste will prevail. There is no choice,” he added.
Let the web giants pay taxes
He also called for “the giants of the web, those who work in the field of Artificial Intelligence, to be less arrogant, accept the rules and pay taxes”, as well as to take responsibility “for what circulates thanks to the platforms.” “Prevent networks from spreading child pornography and gambling.”
And he said it makes him sad that “football stars promote online betting.”
“This puts its hand in people’s pockets. Especially workers and the poor and destroys entire families,” he said.