About

TGB–Tax the Greedy Billionaires–was launched in February 2025 in response to the excessive wealth crisis and to reflect Americans’ frustrations with the broken status quo. With the support of the WhyNot Initiative, TGB conducted studies of an income surtax and the Five and Dime Tax, polled public sentiment on taxing billionaires, and is engaging elected representatives and allies around tax policies that tax the ultra-rich.

One of the early lessons was that a central hub focused on excessive wealth was needed, a place that could foster and coordinate additional research on all things related to excessive wealth. And thus, on Bastille Day 2026, we launched the Excessive Wealth Institute. 

EWI’s purpose is to fund research about the top 0.2% and the societal impacts of excessive wealth, and to conduct educational outreach to policy makers, media, philanthropists, and the public. EWI partners with leading economic research institutions to build the evidence base for taxing excessive wealth. Recent funded projects include:

• Washington Center for Equitable Growth: Defining top wealth and income thresholds for U.S. tax policy design and analysis  
• Economic Policy Institute: Raising taxes on the ultrarich – A necessary first step to restore faith in American democracy and the public sector
• Yale Budget Lab: Budgetary and distributional analysis of a progressive AGI surtax
• Tax Policy Center: Impose a 5 Percent Tax on Net Wealth Greater Than $50 Million and a 10 Percent Tax on Net Wealth Above $250 Million

While tax policy is the immediate focus, the longer-term objective is to change the narrative around the ultra-rich, moving away from a culture of greed to one of shared prosperity.

EWI is managed by three co-directors. See their bios. It is a project of the Tides Foundation.

EWC is currently hiring for a Research Manager. Learn more about the position and how to apply here.