The United States has become a plutocracy where the ultra-rich have all the wealth and power.
Who has Excessive Wealth?
It’s not just billionaires. 300,000 American households with net assets of more than $50 million each have a total $40 trillion combined. That’s equal to the national debt, and to the total net worth of 265 million Americans.
Tax the Ultra-Rich
The ultra-rich have rigged the system to grow and protect their wealth and weaponized it to distort our economy and democracy. It’s time to build a system that empowers working people by enacting a package of Ultra Rich Taxes (URTs): an income surtax, a wealth tax, and rules that stop dynastic fortunes from passing tax-free to heirs.
Our Work
EWC affiliate TGB (Tax the Greedy Billionaires) is launched.
Five and Dime Wealth Tax Proposal – Raises $7 trillion!
Study of the Millionaires Surtax – Raises $1.5 trillion!
Excessive Wealth Disorder Blog
The Whole World is Watching
Democracy is on the ballot in California. Proposition 40 would create the nation’s first-ever wealth tax, imposing a 5% one-time tax on billionaires, and only the 200 or so billionaires who were resident in California on January 1, 2026. It would raise as much as $100 billion, primarily to cover the shortfall in health services funding created by Trump’s big ugly bill.
Other Voices
Philanthropy’s Chosen Blind Spot: The Harms of Extreme Wealth
Apr 28, 2026 | Larry Ottinger, Inside Philanthropy
Stay informed: Join us
Sign up to our mailing list to stay up-to-date with the latest research, newsletters, and more.
Copyright © 2026 | Privacy Policy | Contact
EWI is a 501c3 Project at the Tides Foundation
Our campaign division, Tax the Greedy Billionaires, is building
support for policies to reduce the power of excessive wealth.