Austrian heiress giving away $36.6M because the government won't tax her inheritance

Marlene Engelhorn says that when she inherited her grandmother’s multimillion-dollar fortune in 2022, she “wanted to be happy about it.”

“And I couldn’t be,” the Austrian heiress told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. “I was angry instead … because I knew it was really unfair, and there was no reason for me to get this that I could really justify.”

Engelhorn has long campaigned for greater taxes on the wealthy in Austria, including an inheritance tax. But since the government won’t redistribute her wealth for her, she says she’s asking the people do it.

Engelhorn is giving €25 million ($36.5 million Cdn) — which she says is the vast majority of her inheritance — to a committee of Austrian residents tasked with using it to fight wealth inequality.

“I am only wealthy because I was born in a rich family. And I think in a democratic society of the 21st century, birth should not be the one thing that determines whether or not you’re gonna get to lead a very good life,” Engelhorn said.

Custoslibera,

Class traitors are necessary to bring about a state of communism.

This type of behaviour should be encouraged.

Siegfried,

Class traitors are neccesary to keep capitalism working.

I like how you people that has access to internet and lives in countries that nourishes themself from the rest of the world think of yourself as part of the base of society. When the bells start ringing we are the second in line to be purged.

PugJesus,
PugJesus avatar

I like how you people that has access to internet and lives in countries that nourishes themself from the rest of the world think of yourself as part of the base of society. When the bells start ringing we are the second in line to be purged.

Imagine being this brainrotted.

dezmd,
@dezmd@lemmy.world avatar

Imagine not realizing even you might be one of the baddies.

Enlightenments, self awareness, public engagement, and compassion for others, does not make any of us exceptions when you zoom out far enough.

Food, internet, air conditioning. You might not be rich, but you are to someone.

PugJesus,
PugJesus avatar

The majority of the world has internet access, dumbass.

Imagine going from "Workers of the world unite!" to "Actually, YOU workers are too Western, you deserve the noose!"

Siegfried, (edited )

Sorry, i didnt realize you came from the third world my apologies.

And here is a link with internet access around the world …wikipedia.org/…/List_of_countries_by_number_of_I…

nyctre,

Your link says that around 66% of the world population and around 60% of people in developing countries have internet access. That sounds like a majority to me? Maybe I’m misreading your tone but it sounds like you’re disagreeing.

Custoslibera,

That just reenforces the need for betraying class.

People in those western countries have to find solidarity with the worker, whichever country they are in.

Although I don’t think having internet access and living in a capitalist country automatically makes you bourgeoise.

MaxVoltage,
@MaxVoltage@lemmy.world avatar

this nobles woman makes me communis loines moist

loopedcandle,

There is a solid counter argument here (to play devil’s advocate). This is what a right wing American would say to this:

See, we don’t have to tax the rich, they’re so generous. It’s more efficient to let them have their money and donate it directly to causes. The federal government is so bad at allocating wealth, reducing taxes so more people can be like her is the way to go.

If the person above is not wealthy themselves, the following thought to this is Well, when I’m inevitably wealthy because of how great I am, I don’t want the government taxing me so I can be like her.

Then they pat themselves on the back for being so ((in an impossible future)) generous.

It’s worth thinking about how to counter this argument.

azan,

It’s important to think about the counterargument, I agree.

To counter your counterargument: it’s not a good argument on many levels (scope, allocation, distribution mechanism, effect). The main reason is that this sort of charity doesn’t improve the core problem of low(er) social mobility. The opportunity to pursue self-development/self-fulfillment should not be tied to the whimsical act of a better-off person but presented to everyone as equal as possible - through common goods and services. The impossible future is impossible due to vastly different prerequisites. The person’s “greatness” will never be seen, as most likely they will never be presented with the opportunity to display it.

Custoslibera, (edited )

People have conscious and unconscious biases.

They are prejudiced and can’t allocate money objectively. This woman is directing the use of this money even though that may not be the best use of the money.

When you look at this on a macro scale, what is the system we have for allocating resources across an entire country? Government.

Is it perfect? No, but it doesn’t change the fact the most efficient and objective means we have is government.

In short, I don’t want a system where a huge racist can accumulate vast wealth and society has the prevailing view that this racist will be altruistic through some mystical force.

Copernican,

What does this gesture do to I pact the means of production and labor to push towards a state of communism?

Tristaniopsis,

She sounds like she has some good ethics. Good on her.

Not to flog a zombie’s salt on its tail, or two in the bush, but may I just say;

“This is the way”.

chitak166,

Personally, I think it’s more effective to set up a business that competes on price.

cerulean_blue,

Good point. Give a man a free meal, he eats for a day.

Seed fund an industrial unit churning out basic healthy meals and employ an UberEats-type workforce of homeless/disadvantaged people to distribute the meals, all under a non-profit banner, and hundreds of the poorest of society can eat for $2-5 a day.

DirkMcCallahan,

Good Girl Millionaire

return2ozma,
@return2ozma@lemmy.world avatar

It’s money Engelhorn says she doesn’t deserve.

“Knowing that so many people really worked their frickin’ asses off and never will see a fraction of this sum … I knew that if all of my thoughts about social justice and distributional justice were worth anything, then I would have to put my thinking into action,” she said.

We will spare her when we eat the rich.

PugJesus,
PugJesus avatar

She's invited to the feast, even. As a dinner guest, not a course, I mean.

Tangent5280,

Place of honour, and she also gets to choose whichever cut of billionaire meat she wants.

AppleCandy,

Ick, suddenly vegan.

Witchfire,
@Witchfire@lemmy.world avatar

I imagine billionaire meat to be lean and tender since they’ve never worked a day in their life

PugJesus,
PugJesus avatar

We found her. We found the good multimillionaire.

pineapplelover,

She is the one

beckerist,

deleted_by_author

    •
    AppleCandy,

    No, no, actually the could be many of them. And that would be ok.

    Chozo,
    Chozo avatar

    Well, not for long. Soon she'll just be another good broke person.

    PugJesus,
    PugJesus avatar

    Well, she says 25 million Euros is the "vast majority" of her inheritance. She might have 2-3 million left, leaving her technically still a multimillionaire.

    bdonvr,

    Hopefully she can remain as principled as she is now and use it as a platform for change. Still though, better than pretty much any I’ve ever heard.

    dezmd,
    @dezmd@lemmy.world avatar

    She gave her money to a group of people to support political causes related to taking money from millionaires. What a millionaire way to think they’re making a difference by letting other people spend their extra money on politics.

    Something just feels off with the sentiment. You can always voluntarily pay more in taxes so that the public services are funded. As it stands this moeny will get siphoned to the proverbial dice roll of politics that always has a taint of corruption.

    nyctre, (edited )

    Quietly give 25 mil to the government and nothing changes or put 25 mil towards making a positive change in the world…hmmm…hmmm…yeah, tough choice. I say you mind your own business and let her at least try and influence the world for the better.

    dezmd,
    @dezmd@lemmy.world avatar

    You distilled what I said to a simpleton sound bite dismissal so you didnt actually have to apply any thought to a discussion. I say you mind your own business if your aren’t interested in discussion and just want to flag wave your assumptions with no substance.

    Shes putting 36.6 mil towards having people talk about changing the world by asking other people to talk about changing the world. Its a fucking ridiculous disconnect, put the money directly towards vetting and supporting candidates without setting up a middle man poltical org that will siphon the funds away through the excessive bureaucracy required to run such an org. Thats why it feels off.

    There are already orgs out there trying to do what she is proposing to do.

    nyctre,

    Because you haven’t read the article. In both your replies you’ve said random stuff that don’t appear in the article at all. You don’t wanna discuss, you just want to complain.

    She’s not “putting 36 mil towards having people talk about changing the world by asking other people to talk about changing the world” And she’s also not “setting up a middlean political org that will siphon the funds away”

    And just for the sake of the “discussion”, even if she were doing her own thing, you can’t just dismiss what she’s doing by saying that it’s not going to work when the already existing orgs aren’t really working out either.

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