Compensatory theories argue that crises, such as mass wars, enhance support for taxing the rich because they entail unequal sacrifices that can be mobilized politically. We examine whether this mechanism helps to explain public responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, characterized by an uneven distribution of deaths and economic hardship. Drawing on pre-registered survey experiments conducted in 14 countries during the second wave of the pandemic in December 2020, we test whether the salience of the pandemic and information about its unequal impact increase average support for higher taxes on the rich. An analysis of effect heterogeneity explores whether the pandemic reinforces or dampens existing socio-economic cleavages concerning tax progressivity. Altogether, our findings shed light on the political consequences of the pandemic and the micro-foundations of preferences for taxes and redistribution.