Wednesday, May 21, 2014

£518 billion for the filthy rich getting richer under Tories


Britain’s richest people are wealthier than ever before with a combined fortune of more than £518 billion, according to this year’s Sunday Times Rich List.
The 1,000 richest have seen their combined wealth rise more than 15 percent on last year’s total of £449 billion. They now own the equivalent of a third of Britain’s economic output.
A minimum of £85 million is needed to even be considered for the list—compared to £80 million in 2008 and £75 million last year. To get into the top 500, the rich need £190 million—double the £80 million required in 2004 and up £30 million from the £160 million cut off point for last year’s list.
Most distinguished among the old money names squats the queen. She had a sterling year as she added £10 million to one’s personal fortune. She is ranked a rather common 285 with £330 million.
Though after years of wrangling by the palace that is a severe underestimate of how much loot she and her parasitical family actually own.
South African insurance tycoon Douw Steyn, the money behind the meerkats annoyance on television,  saw his wealth go up by £50 million to a total of £600 million, ranked 170. Former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy, was among the new entrants with a “value” of £100 million, ranking at 863.
Some 104 billionaires are now based in the UK—more than triple the number from a decade ago—with a combined wealth of more than £301 billion.
It means Britain has more billionaires per head of population than any other country, while London’s total of 72 sterling billionaires is more than any other city in the world
The report is an underestimate as it doesn’t reveal how much the rich have in the bank. Or how much they hide away offshore or under the bed.
Via Morning Star

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