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Gabriel Zucman

Professor of Economics, Paris School of Economics

Search every verified Gabriel Zucman interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Gabriel Zucman, professor at the Paris School of Economics and UC Berkeley, has been promoting his book *We Need to Tax Billionaires* and advocating for wealth taxation in recent media appearances. In August and September 2026, he discussed his proposal for a minimum tax of 2 percent on wealth for individuals with net worth above $100 million, arguing that the current system allows the ultra-wealthy to pay lower effective tax rates than middle-class Americans. He has described the concentration of wealth among the richest households as a threat to democracy and has called for taxing wealth rather than income alone, citing examples such as Jeff Bezos claiming the child tax credit in a year when he received no income tax. Zucman has also voiced support for California's Proposition 40, which he described as the first-ever tax on billionaire wealth, during appearances on podcasts and in an endorsement with the SEIU UHW. He stated that the measure is being watched globally and could serve as a turning point for international efforts to tax the super rich. In his public comments, he framed the status quo of low taxation on billionaires as "radical" and argued that a wealth tax is a matter of equality before the law, while responding to concerns about tax flight by suggesting that policy design can reduce incentives for the wealthy to relocate.

Recent appearances

  • Economic Expert Gabriel Zucman Endorses Prop 40!

    October 14, 2026 · 📺 Yes On Prop 40

    Economic expert Gabriel Zucman joins SEIU UHW President Dave Regan to discuss the alarming rise in income and wealth inequality in the US, the concentration of billionaire wealth, and the significance of California's Proposition 40 as a pioneering tax on billionaire wealth. This episode explores the implications for democracy, economic fairness, and potential global influence. Learn more about Proposition 40, the California Billionaire Tax, at YesOn40.com. Follow us on social media at: TikTok:   / billionairetaxnow   Instagram:   / billionairetaxnow   Facebook:   / billionairetaxnow   X/Twit…

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  • How to Stop the Billionaire Takeover | Gabriel Zucman on the Wealth Tax & Prop 40

    September 10, 2026 · 📺 Better Future with Michael Mezz

    My guest today is Dr. Gabriel Zucman, the world's leading expert on wealth taxes. He’s a professor at both the Paris School of Economics and UC Berkeley, and he’s the author of several books, including his most recent: We Need To Tax Billionaires. We recorded this conversation during the lead up to the November 2026 elections in the US, when Californians will vote on Prop 40. If passed, it would be the first-ever tax on the net wealth of ultra-rich people in the history of the US. In this episode, Prof. Zucman explains how the ultra-wealthy in the US and Europe have managed to pay a lower eff…

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  • How to Actually Tax Extreme Wealth (ft. Gabriel Zucman)

    September 09, 2026 · 📺 Robert Reich and Inequality Media

    Billionaires want you to believe taxing their extreme wealth is too radical and that it can’t be done. Baloney. Economist Gabriel Zucman debunks their lies. Watch. His new book "We Need to Tax Billionaires" is out now. https://bookshop.org/p/books/we-need-... 0:00 The problem with taxes 0:36 The rise of extreme wealth 1:20 Wealth and political power 2:24 How a wealth tax would work 3:28 Debunking tax myths 5:36 Not just economics

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  • 'We Need to Tax Billionaires': Author Gabriel Zucman on taxing wealth around the world

    August 25, 2026 · 📺 CNBC Television

    Gabriel Zucman, Paris School of Economics professor, UC Berkeley summer research professor, International Tax Observatory founding director and ‘We Need to Tax Billionaires’ author, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the global wealth tax movement, taxing unrealized gains, his tax proposal for wealthy, and more. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/42d859g » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Watch CNBC on the go with CNBC+: https://www.cnbc.com/WatchCNBCPlus Turn to CN…

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  • The Architect Of The Billionaire Tax Makes His Case

    August 14, 2026 · 📺 Prof G Markets

    Today on Prof G Markets, Ed Elson is joined by Gabriel Zucman to break down Prop 40, the billionaire tax proposal in California. They discuss why Gabriel thinks it’s the most effective way to tax the ultrawealthy in the state, unpack the various criticisms of the tax, and consider what its influence could be on the rest of the country. Gabriel Zucman is a Professor of economics at the Paris School of Economics, Summer Research Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and founding Director of the International Tax Observatory. He is also the founding director of the PSE Stone cent…

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  • Talking Again With Gabriel Zucman

    July 25, 2026 · 📺 Paul Krugman

    Oligarchy, wealth taxes, and more https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-again-with-gabriel-zucman?utm_source=youtube.

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  • Rory Stewart Challenges Gabriel Zucman on Wealth Taxes

    July 13, 2026 · 📺 The Rest Is Politics: Leading

    Watch AD FREE here:    • AD FREE: The Case For A Billionaire's Weal...   Can the super rich ever be fairly taxed, or are there too many functioning tax havens? Can capitalism survive the ever growing disparity between the top 1% and the rest? Should billionaires exist at all? Rory and Alastair are joined by economist and author of 'We Need to Tax Billionaires' Gabriel Zucman to answer all this and more. ----------------------- Search IG.com to find out more and/or Look for IG in your app store. ----------------------- Social Producer: Celine Charles Video Editor: Lorcan Moullier Videographer…

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  • Wealth, Power, and Democracy, Gabriel Zucman - Uwe Reinhardt Distinguished Lectures, Princeton Univ

    June 25, 2026 · 📺 JRCPPF

    April 14, 2026 Princeton University - Uwe Reinhardt Distinguished Lectures Series Gabriel Zucman, Paris School of Economics The rise of extreme wealth has been a defining feature of the U.S. and global economy over the past 15 years. Addressing this challenge requires the invention of new institutions, policies, and forms of cooperation capable of ensuring that democracy prevails over oligarchy. This lecture will examine current efforts in this direction and outline perspectives for the future. Gabriel Zucman is a chaired professor at the Paris School of Economics (since 2023), a Summer R…

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  • We Need to Tax Billionaires | Gabriel Zucman | 20 May 2026

    June 11, 2026 · 📺 STICERD

    While ordinary citizens pay around half of their income in tax, billionaires often pay close to zero income tax because they earn almost all of their income through companies. Yet there is a lack of political will to change this. If the super-rich are left outside the tax system, the concentration of economic power eventually clashes with our democratic ideals. This is both a question of fairness and a question of democracy. Society has become richer, but not more equitable. One proposed solution is the 2% ‘Zucman tax’: a minimum tax on the ultra-rich themselves, put forward by economist and…

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  • We Need a Wealth Tax on Billionaires. Here's Why | Aaron Bastani Meets Gabriel Zucman

    May 24, 2026 · 📺 Novara Media

    Support our work: http://novara.media/support Introducing a wealth tax on the very richest people in our society has never been more popular amongst the electorate, with recent polls showing 90% approval. This figure is basically unheard of when polling people on any form of policy proposal. This week's guest, Gabriel Zucman, is a French economist who's a key inspiration for the UK's leading wealth tax advocate and friend of the show, Gary Stevenson. 00:00 Introduction 03:09 An Explosion in Billionaire Wealth 05:24 Why Is Inequality Getting Worse? 10:58 Tackling Wealth NOT Income 17:14 Bi…

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  • How to tax the ultra rich - Gabriel Zucman

    April 27, 2026 · 📺 Pengar och Politik and Arenagruppen

    In this episode we talk about why billionaires pay less tax than you and how this can change. Gabriel Zucman is a prominent French economist and professor at the Paris School of Economics and UC Berkeley, specializing in tax havens, wealth inequality, and global taxation. Known for advocating a 2% minimum tax on billionaires (the "Zucman Tax"), Zucman is a leading expert in the fight against tax evasion. Interview by Elinor Odeberg, chief economist Arena Idé.

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  • NYC Mayor Mamdani Holds Tax Day Forum with Economists Gabriel Zucman and Joseph Stiglitz

    April 15, 2026 · 📺 Diya TV

    Mayor Mamdani Holds Tax Day Forum with Economists Gabriel Zucman and Joseph Stiglitz - 04/15/26 --- Find Diya TV previews, promos, clips, and digital exclusives here. Subscribe to Diya TV on YouTube HERE:    / @diyatvusa   Follow Diya TV on Instagram HERE:   / diyatv   Like Diya TV on Facebook HERE:   / diyatvusa   Follow Diya TV on Twitter HERE:   / diyatv   Get the latest news affecting the diaspora HERE: http://diyatvusa.com #DiyaTV #IndianAmerican #SouthAsian #USIndia #India #Desi #DiyaTVUSA #News --- Diya TV ® is America’s first South Asian broadcast television network airing to mor…

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Verified interview transcripts

Notable quotes

“I can tell you that what's happening in California with Prop 40 is watched all around the world. The whole world is watching California and is watching how Californian people are going to vote in November. Why? Because Prop 40 is the first ever tax on billionaire wealth. And everywhere in the world, there has been this explosion of billionaire wealth. It's not only in California, even though it's been particularly st”

“There's been an explosion of wealth inequality in the US over the last decades. And probably the most striking part of this evolution has been the surge in billionaire wealth. Billionaires used to own the equivalent of 1% of total US wealth in 1980 and now they own about 7% of total US wealth. So that's their share of everything in the US. All the assets, real estate and equity and financial assets, they own 7% of ev”

“I think Prop 40. It could be the turning point, the beginning of not only the USwide movement to tax the super rich, but in fact the international movement to tax the super rich. And I can tell you that people from all over the world are watching California and they're going to watch what's going to happen on November three when people vote on Prop 40 because we're talking about the first ever tax on the wealth of bi”

“The wealth of billionaires is not radical. What's radical is the status quo is the current situation where we allow the wealthiest and most powerful people in society to live nearly tax-free in their own parallel society. That's radical because that's leading to an explosion of inequality because of course if you don't have tax to pay like mechanically your wealth is growing is going to grow faster than the wealth of”

“It's first and foremost an issue of equality before the law. The most conservative interpretation that you can make of that principle when it comes to taxation is that wealthier individuals shouldn't be allowed to pay less tax than less wealthy individuals. But that principle is violated today. And the most effective way to fix that issue is to create an unavoidable minimum tax based on wealth. Now, it turns out that”

“This is not about taxing unrealized capital gains. This is about creating a new principle, which is the principle that extreme wealth should come with unavoidable duties towards society. So the idea is that there has to be a minimum amount of tax that you must pay each year if you're extremely wealthy. And we can debate what it means to be extremely wealthy. I've proposed $100 million, but that's the basic idea. Ther”

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