Percorso:ANSA > Nuova Europa > Austria > Basf group heir gives up 4 billion: 'I would not be happy'
Basf group heir gives up 4 billion: 'I would not be happy'
Marlene Engelhorn, 29, does not accept her grandmother's bequest
09 August, 20:30
(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 09 AGO - She renounces a 4 billion euro
inheritance because "I could not be happy" and as a matter of
"fairness": this is the story of 29-year-old Marlene Engelhorn,
an Austrian and descendant of Friedrich Engelhorn, who founded
the chemical giant Basf.
Her grandmother ranks 687th on Forbes magazine's list of the world's richest people, and the rejected inheritance represents 90 percent of what she is owed.
The girl, who studies German language and literature in Vienna, told German and Austrian media, "It's not about will, it's about fairness. I did nothing to receive this inheritance.
This is pure luck in the birth lottery." For the young woman, moreover, too much money risks becoming a problem and not a benefit, because excessive wealth rather than solutions can lead to tensions, problems and misunderstandings.
Added to this is the ethical aspect: Engelhorn, in fact, founded together with 49 other heirs of large fortunes 'Taxmenow,' an initiative according to which it should be the state that manages the bulk of billionaire wealth. She not only calls for greater redistribution of wealth, but also wants those with more money to pay more taxes for greater social equity.
(ANSA).
© Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
Her grandmother ranks 687th on Forbes magazine's list of the world's richest people, and the rejected inheritance represents 90 percent of what she is owed.
The girl, who studies German language and literature in Vienna, told German and Austrian media, "It's not about will, it's about fairness. I did nothing to receive this inheritance.
This is pure luck in the birth lottery." For the young woman, moreover, too much money risks becoming a problem and not a benefit, because excessive wealth rather than solutions can lead to tensions, problems and misunderstandings.
Added to this is the ethical aspect: Engelhorn, in fact, founded together with 49 other heirs of large fortunes 'Taxmenow,' an initiative according to which it should be the state that manages the bulk of billionaire wealth. She not only calls for greater redistribution of wealth, but also wants those with more money to pay more taxes for greater social equity.
(ANSA).
