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Several affluent individuals have come together to sign an open letter calling on governments worldwide to impose higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires, aiming to curb their influence on politics and statecraft.

Addressed to world leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the letter titled ‘Time to Win’ was signed by 365 high-net-worth individuals, including actor Mark Ruffalo and singer Brian Eno.

It lamented that, “A handful of global oligarchs with extreme wealth have bought up our democracies, taken over our governments, gagged the freedom of our media, placed a stranglehold on technology and innovation, deepened poverty and social exclusion and accelerated the breakdown of our planet.”

“We are worn out watching this happen,” the letter went on to say. “We want our democracies back. We want our communities back. We want our future back.”

The signatories stated that a simple and effective solution to the problem already existed in the toolkits of legislators and had the support of millionaires and the people: “Stop squandering the time we have — tax the super rich.”

In a statement published on the Time to Win website, Ruffalo said, “If leaders at Davos are serious about the threat to democracy and the rule of law, they must get serious about combating extreme wealth concentration. That includes taxing wealthy people like me, too.”

The actor further said, “If we are to have democracy, not oligarchy, taxing the rich is essential to giving power back to the people.”

Eno’s statement read, “It’s impossible to ignore the brutal levels of economic inequality people are living with, and it’s only getting worse.”

Both Ruffalo and Eno have been outspoken activists for social and economic justice in the world, notably raising their voices for the rights of Palestinians during Israel’s devastating war on Gaza.

Ruffalo was part of the Filmworkers for Palestine boycott movement last year, pledging not to be complicit with Israeli atrocities. More recently, he was seen at the Golden Globes wearing an anti-ICE pin to protest President Donald Trump’s draconian immigration crackdown.

Eno, meanwhile, organised and performed at the Together for Palestine fundraising concert in London, which ended up raising $2 million for organisations working on the ground in Gaza. Both cultural heavyweights also joined calls for the release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli detention in December.