US progressive leaders are among those invited to a major Paris tax summit addressing global wealth inequality. Economist Gabriel Zucman, a prominent advocate for taxing the ultra-wealthy, is organizing the event. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have both received invitations.
The summit, scheduled for November 21 in Paris, aims to tackle the growing imbalance in societies. Zucman states the “explosion in extreme wealth” and power concentration are disruptive forces. He intends to provide an objective assessment of this new reality.
Zucman is a professor at both the Paris School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley. He is well-known for his strong advocacy of taxing the ultra-rich. Earlier this year, he championed a California ballot initiative for a one-time 5% state tax on billionaires.
The event, billed as the “Summit Against the International Oligarchy,” will explore media platforms, artificial intelligence, and taxing billionaires. This Paris tax summit highlights Zucman’s broader campaign against wealth concentration. The initiative, however, will not impact the California ballot measure, as voters there head to the polls on November 3.
Instead, the summit appears strategically timed to reignite public debate on wealth inequality. This push comes ahead of France’s next presidential election, set for April next year. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and author Thomas Piketty are co-organizing the event, which follows Zucman’s new book, “Against the International Oligarchy.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his aide Morris Katz also received invitations. Zucman had met Mamdani in April. Representatives for Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately comment on the invitations.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire is slated to speak at a gala following the summit. Grégoire has focused on local Parisian issues in his campaign. Nevertheless, wealth distribution directly impacts housing prices and purchasing power in Paris, two key priorities for the mayor.
