Austrian Green MEP wears ‘tax the rich’ dress to the Vienna Opera Ball

https://www.euronews.com/green/2026/02/13/tax-the-rich-austrian-green-mep-brings-climate-message-to-the-red-carpet-with-daring-outfi

Lena Schilling used the Vienna Opera Ball to condemn Austria’s mega wealthy, and call for a return to a ‘fair’ inheritance tax model.

246 points · 15 comments · view on lemmy.world

15 Comments

SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social · 32 pts · 197d (1 reply)

Tax them, beat them, put them in a stew.

sik0fewl@piefed.ca · 9 pts · 197d

Give it to us raw and wriggling.

Vesiiiii@nord.pub · 12 pts · 197d (9 replies)

I am not for inheritance tax at all, But normal progressive taxation that would ”hit” the rich. As a child, it is fair, in my opinion at least, to get What your family has worked for, But if you get radiculusly rich, then it should be taxed when the money is made and not when you are dead.

stormdelay@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 197d (7 replies)

If I may ask, why are you against taxing inheritance? It's not like the kids earned any of these assets

Janx@piefed.social · 3 pts · 197d (2 replies)

If I was ultra-rich, I would statistically have entire wealth management firms finding every loophole possible to avoid contributing my fair share to society. An inheritance tax is me paying my taxes "over my dead body". I'm gone. Why the fuck should it matter!?

velxundussa@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 197d

In that scenario, chances are your grandparents, parents and extended family is also rich.

It's more about wanting their money to end up in your pockets when they die.

ChristerMLB@piefed.social · 0 pts · 197d

True, but you could also band together with the other rich people and lobby for the inheritance tax to be abolished for a few years so you can give your children the inheritance before the tax gets reintroduced. A wealth tax doesn't have that problem.

Vesiiiii@nord.pub · 0 pts · 197d

Well, I am against inheritance tax, because I believe that what was my father will be mine and what is mine will be my children’s is a fair rule. I care about every Person, at least I try to, But I do care more, naturally, about my family. This is Why I believe it is fair to give me wealth and belongings fully to me children.

If you expected another argument, maybe more logical or mathematical, Sorry to disappoint you. Sometimes people just believe in stuff or think in some way for no reason - this is simply my feeling of ”fair”. Though, of course, you have the right to your opinion!

Vesiiiii@nord.pub · -2 pts · 197d (2 replies)

Also, when now I am thinking about it, inheritance tax is not fair in a way that it is a double taxation - first your parents (e.g.) pay taxes from their wages, buy/own stuff Based on that and then you tax those things again when being inherited. to me, there is little to no Sense in that.

what I wish for, what I would like to see, is not as many taxes as possible, But, rather, as few of them But done Well and fairly so that they are just - in my opinion should be progressive - and easy to understand for normal people without agencies as Well.

inlandempire@jlai.lu · 12 pts · 197d (1 reply)

I'm nitpicking but you pay taxes multiple times in general, eg:

  • you pay taxes on income/wage
  • vat when you spend it
  • shop pays taxes on profit
  • the employee pays income tax again

Inheritance tax monitors the transfer of wealth rather than the original earning of it, the goal is to prevent accumulation of wealth, and birth becoming the main determining factor for chances in society. Usually it's progressively applied, with tax free thresholds, so the common people often aren't even subject to such tax.

CosmoNova@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 196d

Well put! The „taxed twice!!11“ argument is something inheritance tax opponents in particular love to shout without another thought. This logic would apply to most taxes because it‘s an illogical argument. It‘s second only to „A death tax??? And we pretend this is normal??? Will taxes never end???“ 🙄

Cethin@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 196d

Usually inheritance tax is only for people who are quite wealthy. Most places the average person passes down what they own without any significant tax. It's only when you control well more wealth than you actually earned (the ultra wealthy did not get their wealth through their labor) where there's any significant taxation. I don't know why you'd be against this, except for the "temporarily displaced billionaire" mentality. It is a way to redistribute unearned wealth, and attempting to make who you're born to not the determination for success, and that's a good thing.

fermionsnotbosons@lemmy.ml · -3 pts · 197d

What is this retro shit? "Tax the rich" is so 2010s.

Grainne@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -3 pts · 196d (1 reply)

Don't copy American liberals.

Enkrod@feddit.org · 2 pts · 196d

Why not copy a good idea? AOC would surely be in favour of even more "tax the rich" dresses.