Austrian citizens can thank this philanthropist. Marlene Engelhorn comes from the family of the chemical giant BASF and recently inherited 25 million euros after the death of her grandmother. But there has been no inheritance tax in Austria since 2008, which the 31-year-old young woman greatly dislikes. She therefore decided to redistribute the sum that she felt she did not deserve, the BBC reported on Thursday, January 11, 2024, transmitted by La Dépêche du Midi.
In fact, Marlene Engelhorn has been fighting for several years within the “Tax me now” movement to tax the country’s rich more heavily. “If politicians don’t do their job and don’t redistribute, then I have to redistribute my wealth myself.”explained the Viennese in particular.
50 randomly selected Austrians
“Many people struggle to make ends meet with a full-time job and have to pay taxes on every dollar they earn from their work. I think this is a failure of politics, and if politics fails, then the citizens themselves have to deal with it.”, she added. Even before her grandmother's death, the thirty-year-old had announced that she wanted to give away 90% of her inheritance. Since then, she hasn't specified the exact amount she wants to lose, but has hinted that she just wants to maintain some sort of financial reserve.
To do this, on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, she sent letters to 10,000 Austrians with the aim of randomly selecting 50 who would decide how this sum would be spent for the benefit of society. These are citizens “from all age groups, all federal states, all social classes and all backgrounds”said Christoph Hofinger, managing director of the Foresight Institute, which supports the initiative.
Remuneration, reimbursement of expenses, childcare…
They will take part in a series of meetings with scientists and civil society organizations in Salzburg from March to June 2024. And everything is planned so that they can fulfill their mission in the best possible way. You will therefore receive 1,200 euros per weekend, travel expenses will be reimbursed and childcare and interpreters will be available if required. If an agreement is not reached despite everything, the final decision will rest with Marlene Engelhorn.