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Rethinking capital and wealth taxation

Author

Listed:
  • Thomas Piketty

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Emmanuel Saez

    (UC Berkeley - University of California [Berkeley] - UC - University of California)

  • Gabriel Zucman

    (UC Berkeley - University of California [Berkeley] - UC - University of California)

Abstract

This paper reviews recent developments in the theory and practice of optimal capital taxation. We emphasize three main rationales for capital taxation. First, the frontier between capital and labour income flows is often fuzzy, thereby lending support to a broad-based, comprehensive income tax. Next, the very notions of income and consumption flows are difficult to define and measure for top wealth holders where capital gains due to asset price effects dwarf ordinary income and consumption flows. Therefore the proper way to tax billionaires is a progressive wealth tax. Finally, as individuals cannot choose their parents, there are strong meritocratic reasons why we should tax inherited wealth more than earned income or self-made wealth for which individuals can be held responsible, at least in part. This implies that the ideal fiscal system should also include a progressive inheritance tax, in addition to progressive income and wealth taxes. We then confront our prescriptions with historical experience. Although there are significant differences, we argue that observed fiscal systems in modern democracies bear important similarities with this ideal triptych.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Piketty & Emmanuel Saez & Gabriel Zucman, 2023. "Rethinking capital and wealth taxation," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-04346950, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:pseptp:halshs-04346950
    DOI: 10.1093/oxrep/grad026
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    Cited by:

    1. Rolf Aaberge & Marco Francesconi & Jørgen Modalsli & Ola L. Vestad, 2024. "How Business Income Measures Affect Income Inequality and the Tax Burden," CESifo Working Paper Series 11496, CESifo.
    2. Thomas Kollruss, 2025. "Is the tax calculation method for exemptions with progression contrary to EU law? Quantitative and formal–analytical analysis," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 1-29, December.
    3. Kristoffer Berg, 2025. "Taxing Corporate or Shareholder Income," CESifo Working Paper Series 12149, CESifo.
    4. D’Alessandro, Simone & Distefano, Tiziano & Spinato Morlin, Guilherme & Villani, Davide, 2025. "Exploring policy responses to labour-saving technologies: An assessment of basic income, job guarantee, and working time reduction," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 49-63.
    5. Yang, C.C. & Zhao, Xueya & Zhu, Shenghao, 2023. "Tax progressivity and the Pareto tail of income distributions," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    6. Jain, Parth, 2023. "What would happen if we banned billionaires?," SocArXiv kuepj, Center for Open Science.
    7. 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.
    8. Kuypers, Sarah & Figari, Francesco & Verbist, Gerlinde, 2024. "Vertical and horizontal equity of wealth taxes: An assessment from a joint income-wealth perspective," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    9. Lu, Kelin, 2025. "Silver spoons and scales of justice: The fairness preference over unequal intergenerational wealth transfers between Americans and Chinese," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 236(C).
    10. İrem Güçeri & Joel Slemrod, 2023. "Taxing the rich (more)," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 39(3), pages 399-405.
    11. Jain, Parth, 2023. "What would happen if we banned billionaires?," MPRA Paper 118679, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. 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).
    13. Del Carmen, Giselle & Garriga, Santiago & Ponce, Wilman & Scot, Thiago, 2025. "Two decades of top income shares in Honduras," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    14. Matteo Dalle Luche & Demetrio Guzzardi & Elisa Palagi & Andrea Roventini & Alessandro Santoro, 2024. "Tackling the regressivity of the Italian tax system: An optimal taxation framework with heterogeneous returns to capital," World Inequality Lab Working Papers halshs-04753529, HAL.
    15. Del Carmen,Giselle & Garriga,Santiago & Nuñez,Wilman & De Gouvea Scot de Arruda, Thiago, 2024. "Two Decades of Top Income Shares in Honduras," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10722, The World Bank.
    16. Arabela ICHIM & Mihaela NECULITA & Carmen GHELASE & Daniela Ancuta SARPE, 2023. "The Effect of Assortative Mating on Wealth Inequality, why do the Rich Choose the Rich?," Economics and Applied Informatics, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 2, pages 134-137.

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