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Wealth Taxation: Lessons from History and Recent Developments

Author

Listed:
  • Emmanuel Saez
  • Gabriel Zucman

Abstract

This paper describes the historical experience of wealth taxation in Europe and draws lessons from this history for wealth taxation in the twenty-first century. We show that the wealth tax base was narrow in European countries, due to large exemptions, tax avoidance, and evasion. The paper explains why such exemptions were granted and how they undermined the European wealth taxes. Drawing from this experience, we lay out the key design and enforcement features required for a successful wealth tax in the twenty-first century and compare this ideal wealth tax to proposals recently made in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Emmanuel Saez & Gabriel Zucman, 2022. "Wealth Taxation: Lessons from History and Recent Developments," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 112, pages 58-62, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:112:y:2022:p:58-62
    DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20221055
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. C. Palomino, Juan & Sebastian, Raquel, 2026. "Wealth inequality and preferences in the design of a Wealth Tax: An information-provision experiment in the UK and Spain," INET Oxford Working Papers 2026-16, Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, revised Jul 2026.
    2. Vinicius Curti Cícero & Daniele Tavani, 2024. "Institutional changes, effective demand and inequality: a structuralist model of secular stagnation," Working Papers PKWP2410, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).
    3. Dominik Bernhofer & Michael Ertl & Katharina Bohnenberger & Franziska Disslbacher & Julia Hofmann & Petra Innreiter & Markus Marterbauer & Patrick Mokre & Matthias Schnetzer, 2022. "Tax me if you can. Potenziale moderner Vermögensbesteuerung in Österreich," Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft - WuG, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik, vol. 48(2), pages 207-230.
    4. Marcin Lewandowski, 2025. "Wealth inequality through the lens of temptation preferences," GRAPE Working Papers 112, GRAPE Group for Research in Applied Economics.
    5. Fasianos, Apostolos & Tsoukalis, Panos, 2023. "Decomposing wealth inequalities in the wake of the Greek debt crisis," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    6. David R. Agrawal & Dirk Foremny & Clara Martínez-Toledano, 2025. "Wealth Tax Mobility and Tax Coordination," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 17(1), pages 402-430, January.
    7. Kruschwitz, Lutz & Löffler, Andreas & Lorenz, Daniela & Uttscheid, Moritz, 2023. "Costs of capital and wealth tax: Remarks on Bjerksund and Schjelderup (2022)," arqus Discussion Papers in Quantitative Tax Research 279, arqus - Arbeitskreis Quantitative Steuerlehre.
    8. Kantorowicz, Jaroslaw & Collewet, Marion & DiGiuseppe, Matthew & Vrijburg, Hendrik, 2024. "How to finance green investments? The role of public debt," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    9. Jain, Parth, 2023. "What would happen if we banned billionaires?," MPRA Paper 118679, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Jain, Parth, 2023. "What would happen if we banned billionaires?," SocArXiv kuepj, Center for Open Science.
    11. Lisa Marie Timm & Massimo Giuliodori & Paul Muller, 2025. "Tax Incentives for Migrants with Mid-level Earnings: Evidence from the Netherlands," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 42-79, July.
    12. Krenek Alexander & Schratzenstaller Margit, 2022. "A Harmonized Net Wealth Tax in the European Union," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 242(5-6), pages 629-668, December.
    13. Gabriel Zucman, 2024. "A blueprint for a coordinated minimum effective taxation standard for ultra-high-net-worth individuals," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-04947409, HAL.
    14. Lin, Ziqi (Rachel), 2025. "Tax share analysis and prediction of kernel extreme Learning machine optimized by vector weighted average algorithm," OSF Preprints ymjw9_v1, Center for Open Science.
    15. Mas-Montserrat, Mariona & Durán-Cabré, José María & Esteller-Moré, Alejandro, 2025. "Avoidance Responses to the Wealth Tax," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    16. Gabriel Zucman, 2024. "A blueprint for a coordinated minimum effective taxation standard for ultra-high-net-worth individuals," Reports 006, EU Tax Observatory.
    17. Gabriel Zucman, 2023. "Globalisation, taxation and inequality," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(3), pages 229-235, September.
    18. Berg, Kristoffer & Hebous, Shafik, 2025. "The effect of parental wealth on labor income: Evidence from the Norwegian wealth tax," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • H26 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Tax Evasion and Avoidance
    • K34 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Tax Law

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