While public budgets are struggling with cuts and deficits, private wealth has grown rapidly. On a European and global level, fortune is highly concentrated in the hands of less than 10% of the people and inequality is growing everywhere.

European states have spent 4.6 trillion euro of public money in order to stabilize the economy and rescue banks. This has prevented a meltdown of private assets. The grown level of public debt has led to increased public deficits and additional cuts in education, health public services and future investments.

Therefore, we call on the Greek and the German government to introduce a levy on private wealth. Furthermore, we urge our governments to launch an initiative on the European level in order to coordinate the introduction of a wealth levy in all EU member states including a coordinated crackdown on both tax havens and tax fraud so that the levy can be raised evenly.

Signatures:

Stelios Kouloglou (journalist),

Petros Linardos Rylmon (economist, scientific advisor of the GSEE/ ADEDY – General Confederation of Greek Workers/ Federation of Civil Servants Institute of Labour),

Prof. Klaus Staeck (president, German Academy of the Arts)

Spyros Papaspyros (civil servant, ex president of ADEDY – Federation of Civil Servants),

Prof. Dr. Angelika Zahrnt (Honorary chair of Friends of the Earth Germany – BUND)

Prof. Dr. Michael Hartmann (sociologist),

Prof. Savvas Rompolis (professor of finance social policy Panteion University, and scientific Director of the GSEE/ ADEDY General Confederation of Greek Workers/ Federation of Civil Servants Institute of Labour),

Nikos Chrysogelos (member of environmental NGOs, green regional councillor in the South Aegean Region),

Michalis Tremopoulos (MEP)

Prof. Giannis Varoufakis (professor of economic theory, Athens University),

Dr. Franz Alt (journalist, sonnenseite.com),

Dr. Jürgen Borchert (social judge),

Frank Bsirske (trade union verdi, leader),

Birgit Zenker (Katholic Workers’ Movement),

Orestis Kolokouris (coordinator of Green Ecologists executive Secretariat),

Lydia Koniordou (actress),

Julia Friedrichs (journalist),

Sven Giegold (MEP),

Rebecca Harms (MEP),

Jürgen Tritin (MdB),

Orestis Kolokouris (coordinator of Green Ecologists executive Secretariat),

Kostas Kaloniatis (economic analyst, journalist),

Prof. Dr. Claus Offe (sociologist, Hertie School of Governance),

Kostas Kaloniatis (economic analyst, journalist),

Dep. Prof. Giorgos Katrougalos (associate professor constitutional law, Dimokritio University of Thrace),

Prof. Dr. Gesine Schwan (Humboldt Viandrina School of Governance),