Claiming that drastic times demand drastic measures, North Shore man Charles Bridgegate has thrown a glass of 1994 Grange on a Van Gogh, to protest the government’s changes to tax concessions on super balances over $3 million. The Van Gogh hangs in a spare bedroom at his Mosman home.
After throwing the wine, he removed his Ralph Lauren sweater to reveal a t-shirt with the words “I Stand With The Top 0.5%”
Bridgegate acknowledged that people would be shocked by his actions. “But people need to wake up and understand what’s at stake here. What’s worth more, a 19th Century post-impressionist painting or an increased awareness of the extra 15% tax I’ll need to pay on the earnings from my $5.8 million superannuation balance? That golf club membership doesn’t just pay for itself”.
The former hedge fund trader said he used the ’94 Grange because it was all he had to hand at the time. “The ‘83 Chateau Mouton Rothschild in the cellar would probably have been a stronger choice. But that’s what civil disobedience is sometimes – you use what you have at your disposal”.
The Van Gogh, which is encased in protective glass, was later cleaned by staff.
