The Australian Greens are poised to roll out a wealth tax aimed at the nation's billionaires as part of a comprehensive Robin Hood-style initiative designed to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

Greens leader Adam Bandt is anticipated to present a plan that would impose an extra ten percent tax on the wealth of individuals whose net assets exceed one billion dollars, impacting an estimated one hundred fifty billionaires in Australia.

The proposal also includes a provision to limit capital outflow by restricting the ability of billionaires to transfer their wealth offshore by ten percent each year.

Based on estimates from a Greens-commissioned report by the Parliamentary Budget Office, this tax could generate twenty-three billion dollars in the near future and up to fifty billion dollars over the next decade.

The funds raised are meant to complement the broader Robin Hood tax package, which is expected to yield an additional five hundred fourteen billion dollars to support various social policies, such as expanded dental coverage under Medicare and reduced public transportation fares.

An Oxfam report published last month revealed that Australia’s billionaires earn an average of sixty-seven thousand dollars an hour, a figure more than one thousand three hundred times higher than the average hourly wage for Australians.

The proposal is being advanced at a moment when the Greens perceive an opportunity for a hung parliament, which they regard as a unique chance to enact substantial tax reforms.

The Parliamentary Budget Office report also pointed out several uncertainties, including the potential for billionaires to adopt sophisticated tactics to lower their tax burdens or challenge the tax legally, which could reduce the anticipated revenue.

Both the Labor Party and the Coalition have previously dismissed other aspects of the Greens’ Robin Hood tax proposals, which sought to target industries like gas companies and corporate super profits.

Electoral dynamics further shape the context of the proposal, with the Greens striving to solidify support in pivotal electorates such as Prahran, which overlaps with Bandt’s federal constituency of Melbourne, as well as in Wills in Melbourne, Richmond in New South Wales, Perth in Western Australia, and Sturt in South Australia.

This new wealth tax proposal signifies a crucial component of the Greens’ strategy to address income inequality and enhance funding for public services across Australia.