«Breaking News» Historian goes viral after telling billionaires to stop preaching about philanthropy and pay tax

A Dutch historian has struck a chord with internet users for calling out billionaires who preach about philanthropy but avoid paying their taxes.

Rutger Bregman was speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the world's richest and most influential people convene every January to discuss 'improving the state of the world'.   

Apparently unperturbed by an audience of powerful and wealthy business leaders, 30-year-old Bregman took aim at the billionaire elite and ultra-rich celebrities for pushing 'stupid philanthropy schemes'.

All they really need to do to solve inequality, the Dutchman said, is simply pay their fair share of taxes.  

Historian Rutger Bregman's comments urging billionaires to pay their 'fair share' to solve inequality at Davos have gone viral

'I hear people talking the language of participation and justice and equality and transparency, but then, almost no one raises the real issue of tax avoidance, right? And of the rich just not paying their fair share,' he remarked on Friday during 'The Cost of Inequality' panel discussion. 

After pointing out that there was only one panel at Davos dedicated to discussing tax avoidance, Bregman said it felt like being at 'a firefighters' conference and no one's allowed to speak about water.'

'This is not rocket science,' he added. 'We can talk for a very long time about all these stupid philanthropy schemes. 

'We can invite Bono once more. But come on! We've got to be talking about taxes. Taxes, taxes, taxes. All the rest is b******* in my opinion.'    

Bregman was speaking on 'The Cost of Inequality' panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Friday

The remarks have received widespread acclaim online and a video of the moment posted on Twitter has garnered more than 6 million views.

The comments were even seized upon by U.S Senator Bernie Sanders, who contested the Democratic nomination for President in 2016.

Sanders tweeted the video of Bregman, writing: 'We have a rigged tax code that has essentially legalized tax-dodging for large corporations and the world's wealthiest individuals. 

'It is time to end these egregious loopholes and make the wealthy pay their fair share.' 

Bregman also noted the 'bewildering' irony of 1,500 private jets being chartered by those travelling to the Swiss Mountain town 'to hear Sir David Attenborough speak about how we are wrecking the planet'. 

It was almost inevitable that some attendees felt inclined to hit back.  

Ken Goldman, a former CFO of Yahoo, stood up to complain about the panel's focus on taxes. 

The 30-year-old Dutch historian and author has become an online sensation and even Bernie Sanders has retweeted his comments

'I have to say, honestly, this is a very one-sided panel,' Goldman said. 

'We've actually reduced poverty around the world – no one's talking about that at all.'  

Goldman added that the U.S had an employment rate that was nearing record-lows.  

He asked that the panel instead discuss what 'we really do to help solve inequality over time beyond taxes?' 

This is not the first time the Bregman has achieved online attention for his ideas however. 

His TED Talk 'Poverty isn't a lack of character; it's a lack of cash' was rated one of the top ten of 2017, and he was described by the media organisation as 'one of Europe's most prominent young thinkers'. 

The Dutch historian has also published four books, including 'Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World', which has been translated into 20 languages.

His comments were well-timed, as just as the Davos summit was opening Oxfam released a global inequality report showing that just 26 billionaires own as much wealth as the 3.8 billion poorest people in the world.

But after causing such a stir on his first visit to the summit at Davos, it remains to be seen whether the Dutchman will be invited back next year.

Dell founder challenged by MIT Professor on top tax rate

In another clip from Davos, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Erik Brynjolfsson successfully challenges tech billionaire Michael Dell.

Dell said he 'did not support' U.S Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's call to tax people earning over $10 million a year at 70 per cent, arguing it would hurt the economy and slow down growth. 

The current top rate in the U.S is 37 per cent, and Dell asked people to name one country where a top tax rate of 70 per cent had ever been successful.

'The United States, that's where it has actually worked, in the 1950s,' interjected Brynjolfsson.

'From about the 1930s through about the 1960s the tax rate averaged about 70 per cent, at times it was up as high as 95 per cent, and those were actually pretty good years for growth.' 

Historian Rutger Bregman also waded in on Friday, adding: 'I'm a historian - the United States, that's where it has actually worked, in the 1950s during Republican President Eisenhower, you know, the war veteran.

'The top marginal tax rate in the US was 91 per cent for people like Michael Dell. 

'You know the top estate tax for people like Michael Dell was more than 70 per cent.'

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Main photo article A Dutch historian has struck a chord with internet users for calling out billionaires who preach about philanthropy but avoid paying their taxes.
Rutger Bregman was speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the world’s richest and most influential people c...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

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