London - (AFP) - In a report published Tuesday, the non-governmental organization " Oxfam " denounced the failure of governments to act in the face of inequality, which has worsened sharply since the spread of the Covid epidemic.

"The poorest and most vulnerable have been hit hardest by the disease and its profound economic repercussions," a statement accompanying the report said.

The 2022 edition of the ERI (which measures the efforts of different countries around the world), which is published every two years, “clearly shows that most governments have not taken concrete long-term measures to mitigate this dangerous increase in inequality.”

Oxfam indicated that "although this is the worst health emergency the world has seen in a century, half of low- and middle-income countries cut their spending on health during the pandemic," and it also cut 70 percent of its spending on education.

Moreover, the organization explained that "despite massive tax shortfalls and massive increases in the wealth of the wealthiest people and companies during the pandemic, 143 out of 161 countries did not raise taxes on the rich, and 11 countries reduced taxes for the rich."

Norway topped the index as the best performing country when it came to tackling inequality.

It was followed by Germany, Australia, Belgium and then Canada. France ranked 12th while Britain ranked 14th.

Oxfam explained that the countries that ranked first are all developed countries, which have more resources to allocate to public policies to reduce inequality.

Conversely, low-income countries that are greatly affected by armed conflicts and political instability, such as South Sudan, rank last, or Nigeria in the penultimate rank.

Among the countries "which are making progress in this area are low-income countries (such as Tajikistan, thanks to a strong increase in personal income tax collection) and four middle-income countries," notably Moldova.

The countries that experienced the greatest deterioration include the Seychelles and the territory of Hong Kong in China. Oxfam noted that “eight of the ten countries with the highest deterioration rates have seen tax revenues collapse, mainly due to the pandemic.”

The organization warned that an additional 263 million people will find themselves in extreme poverty by the end of the year.
It also called on governments to act urgently to confront the risk of wasting a decade of efforts to reduce the wealth gap.
Oxfam recommended, in particular, that "governments increase social spending, not reduce it" and "protect workers' rights and provide them with wages that allow them to live" above the poverty line.
"More than anything else, the taxes paid by the richest must be greatly increased," the organization said, as well as businesses and individuals.
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