A study published in The Lancet by ISGlobal in Barcelona suggests that increasing taxes on large fortunes could save up to 29.5 million lives by 2030. Researchers analyzed data from 59 low- and lower-middle-income countries and found that increased investments in social programs correlate with significant reductions in overall mortality and child deaths under five years old. However, several countries, including the UK and Germany, have announced cuts to their humanitarian aid budgets. The U.S. has proposed an 83% reduction in such funding, which could lead to 14 million preventable deaths. To address this, researchers propose taxing wealthy individuals, multinational corporations, financial transactions, carbon emissions, cryptocurrencies, and sovereign debt interest. Implementing a 3% tax on billionaires starting in 2026 could fund enough aid to prevent 29.5 million deaths by 2030, while a 1% tax would save 15 million lives. Other measures like the Tobin Tax on large financial transactions could save 24.5 million lives.
Bias read (Center): The article presents findings from a scientific study and quotes researchers without overtly favoring any political side. It discusses economic policies and their potential impacts but does not exhibit biased language, one-sided sourcing, or editorializing toward a specific ideological stance.
