Vienna literature student and descendant of the founders of BASF, a chemical multinational with revenues of 78 billion euros, Austrian Marlene Engelhorn, 30, decided to reject 90% of the inheritance of 4.2 billion euros (equivalent to R 21.9 billion) because she believed that the income that did not work For his sake, he wouldn’t make her happy.
The young woman, who is part of Millionaires for Humanity, a group that advocates “taxing the super-rich like workers,” will receive the money when her grandmother, Traudl Engelhorn Vecchiato, dies.
When the 95-year-old’s desire was revealed, the heiress announced her intentions.
In an interview with German newspaper Der Standard, the woman said: “When the announcement came out, I realized I couldn’t be really happy. I said to myself: Something is wrong.”
Asked what her grandmother thought when she made the announcement, the woman said the elderly woman “gave her too much freedom to do whatever she wanted.”
The statement, which was considered “controversial”, introduced the billionaire’s name in the world press and made her give her other interviews talking about taxing the rich.
In an interview with German channel Orf 2, he said, “This is not a question of desire, but a matter of justice. I did nothing to get this inheritance. It was pure luck in the birth lottery. A coincidence.”
At the time, she also stated that she still did not know what she would do with the money and described some of the philanthropy proclaimed by the “wealthy” as “neofeudalism” disguised as charity, because, even when left out of their fortunes, they have the power to determine where they are sent mechanism.
“Society does not have to take into account the fact that millionaires will be benevolent. I exchange ideas with others, learn as much as I can see what works and what does not. Taxes are very important, because that is what determines how wealth is distributed,” he said.
