A global tax is needed to more evenly distribute 'disgusting' wealth from the world's richest people, a campaigner says.
A new rich list shows there are are now more billionaires than ever: 2,781 in all, 141 more than last year and 26 more than the record set in 2021.
Forbes says the richest people are now richer than ever - worth $14.2 trillion, up by $2 trillion from 2023.
Head of the LVMH beauty empire, Frenchman Bernard Arnault, tops the list with a net worth of $233bn.
He is followed by X owner Elon Musk ($195bn), Amazon founder Jeff Bezos ($194bn) and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ($177bn).
Elon Musk. Image: AC NewsPhoto/AlamyUS Singer Taylor Swift ($1.1bn) joins the ranks this year - the first musician to do it based solely on songwriting and performing.
Global Justice Now Campaigner Daisy Pearson told Newstalk Breakfast she believes wealth needs to be spread more evenly.
"It's absolutely disgusting really," she said.
"It's not surprise to us, we've been campaigning on inequality for many years.
"It is disgusting whilst billions of people around the world are struggling with the cost of living crisis... you've got 141 new people - that's the biggest increase ever - to the billionaire's list.
"The vast majority of people on that list have got their wealth through corporate power or more likely monopoly power.
"So, there's a huge overlap with the world's richest people and the CEOs of the world's biggest companies."
File photo shows Facebook chief executive officer and founder Mark Zuckerberg leaving the Merrion Hotel in Dublin. Image: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ieMs Pearson said countries need to come together to get more equality.
"We do need global cooperation and collaboration on this," she said
"The mega-rich are often involved in writing the rules of the global economy in order to benefit them.
"We have trade deals that allow corporations to sue governments if they make decisions that impact their profits.
"We've got huge subsidies for polluting industries like fossil fuels, agriculture and aviation."
She also criticised a "hugely over-sized and unregulated finance industry" which she accused of "leaching wealth from ordinary people".
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in Los Angeles, 25-9-19. Image: Andrej Sokolow/dpaMs Pearson said such practices are "written in to our global economy".
"We need these fundamental changes to be able to tackle it and it does have to be globally coordinated," she said.
"We need a wealth tax, we need massive reinvestment in people, places and public services.
"We also need the measures to tackle that inequality," she added.
The United States still boasts the highest number of billionaires, with a record 813, followed by mainland China (406), India (200) and Germany (132).
