The wealth tax tearing France apart

France’s richest man, the Moët magnate Bernard Arnault, has railed against the Zucman tax. But French voters seem right behind it: a poll published last week found 86pc in favour.

Zucman, who has been dubbed the “billionaire’s nightmare”, gives as good as he gets. He told a French newspaper last week: “If I’d been able to christen the tax, I’d have preferred to call it the ‘Bernard Arnault tax’.”

The Zucman tax would be a supplementary levy, ensuring that the total amount of income tax paid by the super-rich each year equated to 2pc of their net wealth.

“You’d have to be deaf not to hear that the French are asking us for more tax justice,” he said recently.

Telegraph 1 October 2025

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/10/01/the-wealth-tax-tearing-france-apart/