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‘Patriotic Millionaires’ in Utah ask for higher taxes on the rich

Posted at 5:50 PM, Mar 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-29 19:50:39-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- A group of millionaires walk into a Senator's office... You might ask: "What's the punchline?" or "What's new?"

What's new is the millionaires were at Senator Orrin Hatch's office to deliver a letter asking for a tax increase.

"We think we should be paying more taxes, so the opportunity America offers continues on into the future for everyone," said investment manager Art Lipson.

Lipson is a member of a group calling themselves "Patriotic Millionaires."

The non-partisan group favors higher minimum wages, taxpayer-funded political campaigns, and progressive taxation that asks the rich to pay a higher percentage of income and interest than the poor.

It's that last issue that animated the millionaires who delivered a letter to Hatch.

Jonathan Ruga, CEO of Sentry Financial, says the widening divide between rich and poor in America is dangerous.

"That's just bad for the economy, if we're looking at it from an economic perspective, but more importantly it's bad for our democracy," Ruga said.

Hatch was not in his Salt Lake City office to accept the letter.