British actor Simon Pegg is among more than 130 millionaires and billionaires to have signed an open letter demanding the world's richest pay more taxes to tackle global inequality.
The World's End star has joined dozens of contemporaries under the banner of 'Millionaires against Pitchforks' to warn their fellow moneymakers that evading tax could further ferment "low social trust and a pervasive sense of unfairness" and what they describe as "the looming climate catastrophe."
Other signatories of the document include Notting Hill writer Richard Curtis, co-founder of Innocent Drinks Richard Reed, and former Unilever CEO Paul Actor.
Shaun of the Dead actor Simon Pegg is said to be worth an estimated 9 million dollars (Credit: AP)
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The letter states that "there are two kinds of wealthy people in the world: those who prefer taxes and those who prefer pitchforks. We, the undersigned, prefer taxes."
Warning that "tensions caused by inequality have reached crisis levels," the document adds that "upon reflection," other millionaires will hopefully realize that "taxes are the best and only appropriate way to ensure adequate investment in the things our societies need."
US President Donald Trump was among the many politicians and billionaires to attend this year's World Economic Forum (Credit: AP)
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It goes on to claim that "in some nations, the wealthiest actually pay lower effective tax rates than those of modest means," referencing a 2017 study called "Who Owns the Wealth in Tax Havens" that shows some $8 trillion – nearly 10 percent of the world's GDP – lies in tax havens.
The document was released to coincide with this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where hundreds of the world's wealthiest and most powerful gathered this week to discuss global policy, with extreme poverty and climate change high on the agenda.
The letter concludes that "every solution to this global crisis requires higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires like us.
"You can join us in accepting this simple fact… or you can refuse to be part of the solution and accept that if we fail, you will be to blame."