VIDEO. How inequalities are widening in France

Lucas Chancel is an economist and co-author of the 2022 report on global inequalities. He recalls that in France, the richest 10% own 60% of the total wealth, and the poorest 50%, or half of the population, has only 5% of the total. Also, the report notes a drop in wealth inequalities from above, “that is to say that multimillionaires and billionaires recorded spectacular gains during the Covid crisis, more than 200 billion in wealth, additional stock market valuations for the 500 highest fortunes in France during the crisis“, develops the economist. In 2010, the 500 largest fortunes in France represented the equivalent of 10% of GDP. Today we are at 43%.

According to Lucas Chancel, it would be necessary to set up a progressive tax on the inheritance. “It is a return of what we called the ISF, we can call it differently tomorrow, modernized, renovated, which would yield more, we use part of the revenue from this tax to finance a minimum heritage“, he develops. Finally, For the economist, starting his life with a certain amount, a certain starting capital, seems to be”a new way of thinking about emancipation, of thinking about social justice in the 21st century. “