Économie et social — Analysis

A nation of unearned income: why France should increase inheritance tax for the rich

This Tuesday French MPs are taking part in a vote on a crucial part of the 2026 budget. One measure that has already been ruled out is a major increase in inheritance tax. Yet as Mediapart here reports, workplace earnings alone are no longer enough for a person wanting to better their lot in society. Instead, it is parental wealth that determines a child's future prosperity in France. With so much bequeathed wealth currently escaping taxation, some argue that the rich should pay more inheritance tax. That, say these critics, would help restore a degree of fairness to the system.