Disney heiress worth $110million who once said she feels so guilty being born rich she struggles to sleep is among dozens of millionaires, including British director Richard Curtis, calling for a tax on 'super-rich'

  • Abigail Disney, 63, signed letter sent to G20 leaders ahead of summit this week  

By MIRIAM KUEPPER

Published: | Updated:

A Disney heiress worth $110million who has once said she feels guilty about being born rich is among dozens of others calling for a tax on the 'super rich'.

Abigail Disney, 63, signed the letter sent to leaders of the G20 nations ahead of the summit later this week.

Other signatories include British director Richard Curtis, Senator Bernie Sanders and US Representative Brendan Boyle.

Disney is an outspoken social activist and the granddaughter of the Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney. 

'I woke up one day and realised that, just by virtue of being born lucky, I had so much more than everyone else. I don't think I've slept well since I figured that out,' Disney - with a net worth of $110million - told the Rolling Stone in July. 

Abigail Disney (pictured), 63, signed the letter sent to leaders of the G20 nations ahead of the summit later this week. Disney is an outspoken social activist and the granddaughter of the Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney

Abigail Disney (pictured), 63, signed the letter sent to leaders of the G20 nations ahead of the summit later this week. Disney is an outspoken social activist and the granddaughter of the Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney

Other signatories include British director Richard Curtis (pictured above), Senator Bernie Sanders and US Representative Brendan Boyle

Other signatories include British director Richard Curtis (pictured above), Senator Bernie Sanders and US Representative Brendan Boyle

Senator Bernie Sanders (pictured here) also signed the letter to demand a higher tax for the 'extremely rich'

Senator Bernie Sanders (pictured here) also signed the letter to demand a higher tax for the 'extremely rich'

Two months ago, the Disney heiress was arrested after joining climate activists blockading a ritzy New York airport in a protest over private jets - and cops had to use heavy duty power tools to cut her free from thick plastic piping as she lay on the ground.

The social activist was among dozens of eco-protesters who obstructed the regional East Hampton Airport in Wainscott, which services private jets only.

Dramatic footage captured by other protesters shows Disney joined to 12 other people via a long chain of white plastic pipes encasing their arms, before cops use power tools to cut her out.

She was later handcuffed by police and led into the back of a van, while the din of drills and protesters continuing their chant reverberated in the background.

Writing on Twitter two days after her arrest, Disney said police took her fingerprints and a mugshot. 'At 63 I still had not popped my fingerprint/mug shot cherry so I did this,' Disney said, sharing a link to an article about the protest.

'Because the last thing this planet needs is billionaires spewing greenhouse gases to get to their palatial beach homes. Just so wrong.'  

The letter demanding a tax for the 'super rich' Disney has also signed read: 'The accumulation of extreme wealth by the world's richest individuals has become an economic, ecological, and human rights disaster, threatening political stability in countries all over the world.'

Two months ago, the Disney heiress (pictured above) was arrested after joining climate activists blockading a ritzy New York airport in a protest over private jets - and cops had to use heavy duty power tools to cut her free from thick plastic piping as she lay on the ground

Two months ago, the Disney heiress (pictured above) was arrested after joining climate activists blockading a ritzy New York airport in a protest over private jets - and cops had to use heavy duty power tools to cut her free from thick plastic piping as she lay on the ground

Disney, who is worth an estimated $110 million, was filmed at eye-level as she lay on the ground while cops used power tools to cut her from the thick plastic piping, which the group had secured with layers of silver duct tape

Disney, who is worth an estimated $110 million, was filmed at eye-level as she lay on the ground while cops used power tools to cut her from the thick plastic piping, which the group had secured with layers of silver duct tape

Furthermore it said in the letter: 'Our political choices allow ultra-wealthy individuals to continue to use tax shelters and enjoy preferential treatment to the extent that, in most countries in the world, they pay lower tax rates than ordinary people.'

Prominent signatories also include Marlene Engelhorn, a German heiress and co-founder of taxmenow, who previously expressed she was 'annoyed' at inheriting billions and said she wants most of it taxed. 

Patriotic Millionaires, the campaign group who is behind the letter, imitates the global minimum tax on companies which was collectively agreed on by G20 nations in 2021 and coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of 38 countries.

The G20 nations include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

The letter to the G20 leaders in full 

'The accumulation of extreme wealth by the world's richest individuals has become an economic, ecological, and human rights disaster, threatening political stability in countries all over the world. 

'Such steep levels of inequality undermine the strength of virtually every one of our global systems, and must be addressed head-on.

'Decades of falling taxes on the richest, based on the false promise that the wealth at the top would somehow benefit us all, has contributed to the rise in extreme inequality. 

'Our political choices allow ultra-wealthy individuals to continue to use tax shelters and enjoy preferential treatment to the extent that, in most countries in the world, they pay lower tax rates than ordinary people.

'At the same time, the world has seldom had more need for the richest to pay. For the first time in decades, extreme poverty is increasing, and nearly two billion people live in countries where inflation has outstripped wage growth. 

'Furthermore, time is rapidly running out for countries to make the necessary green investments that would align themselves with the 1.5 degrees of warming cap called for in the Paris Agreement.

'Across the world, people are desperate for change. Public polls in all G20 countries show overwhelming support for political action to curb inequality and tax extreme wealth. A current international petition on wealth taxation has hundreds of thousands of signatures.

'As economists, millionaires, and political representatives, we agree: we cannot allow extreme wealth to continue corroding our collective future.

'In 2021, the G20 and others worked together to ensure that multinational corporations should pay a minimum level of tax. 

'The G20 must now collectively agree to raise taxes on the richest individuals, through truly inclusive and ambitious international collaboration to tax wealth and to stop tax competition and avoidance by the richest people. 

'Our shared ambition must be to make our international and national systems work for everyone, not merely those who have money and power.

'With this in mind, we call on the member states of the G20 to work together to enact new tax regimes - at national and international levels - that eliminate the ability of the ultra-rich to avoid paying their dues, and introduce new rules that determine higher taxation of extreme wealth.

'An international agreement on wealth taxes would shrink dangerous levels of inequality while also allowing leaders to raise vital funds to tackle the multiple challenges facing our world.

'This will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Much work has already been done. There is an abundance of policy proposals on wealth taxation from some of the world's leading economists. The public wants it. We want it. Now all that's missing is the political will to deliver it. It's time for you to find it.'

Richard CurtisBernie Sanders

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