THE Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo has criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for not sufficiently increasing tax on the wealthiest people in the UK.
Sharing a post on Twitter from the US-based non-profit organisation Avaaz, which calls on Rishi Sunak to implement an additional tax on the super-rich, Ruffalo said that if the Prime Minister failed to act then the UK could end up with an American-style healthcare system.
“When the UK’s PM @rishisunak refuses to hold the super-wealthy accountable, it leads to a healthcare system like that one we have in the US,” he said.
“Or even the system in the time of Charles Dickens. Sunak should just #TaxTheRich or change his slogan to ‘Make the UK Sick Again’”.
When the UK’s PM @rishisunak refuses to hold the super-wealthy accountable, it leads to a healthcare system like the one we have in the US. Or even the system in the time of Charles Dickens. Sunak should just #TaxTheRich or change his slogan to "Make the UK Sick Again." https://t.co/FU5ErIhydd
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) June 16, 2023
The post also featured a graphic stating that Sunak earned £2 million in 2021/22 but paid only 22% in tax while an average doctor in London sits within a 40% tax band.
Sunak’s tax return revealed that he paid around £1 million in tax on the £4.7 million he made over the past three years, meaning that around 22% of his total income was taxed.
While the UK’s progressive income tax system means that any earnings over £150,000 are taxed at 45%, Sunak’s earnings came predominantly from capital gains, which are not subject to tax in the same way as other streams of income.
Capital gains refer to the amount of profit made after selling an asset (such as stocks or property).
At present, UK capital gains tax is set at 28% for property and 20% for other assets, which allowed Sunak to pay around 20% tax on the majority of his earnings (approximately 92% of which were capital gains).
The Prime Minister previously admitted to using private healthcare in the past but denies he has plans to privatise the NHS.
TV presenter Carol Vorderman thanked Ruffalo for his contribution.
“”Thank you. SUNAK protecting the super rich is breaking our way of life.
“Sunak more ‘corrupt’ than even Johnson? See Sunak’s wife’s non-dom tax status, his protesting of offshore accounts, holder of green card while Chancellor etc ad nauseum”.
