The Aporia · Here’s How You Tax the Billionaires

Economist Gabriel Zucman argues that a wealth tax may be necessary to ensure billionaires pay their fair share of taxes, as they often report no income and pay no income tax. Zucman discusses how California's Proposition 40, which would implement a one-time 5% wealth tax on the state's billionaires, is an example of this approach. In an interview with Mehdi, Zucman debunks common arguments against wealth taxes, including claims that they will drive away business. He cites his own book "We Need To Tax Billionaires" as evidence for the urgent need to address wealth inequality through a wealth tax.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-04, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

Story summary

Economist Gabriel Zucman has argued that a wealth tax is necessary to ensure the super rich pay their fair share of taxes, citing examples such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, who have reported no income and paid no income tax in some years. In an interview with Mehdi Hasan, Zucman explained that billionaires often hoard their wealth into holding companies to avoid paying taxes. A California ballot measure, Proposition 40, would implement a one-time 5% wealth tax on the state's billionaires**. Zucman also discussed how some countries' wealth taxes have failed in other countries, such as France. The interview with Zucman aims to debunk arguments against a wealth tax and highlight its urgency, citing the need to address wealth inequality and tax avoidance by the super rich.

Written for “Wealth Tax Proposal” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Wealth Tax Proposal

Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Zeteo · 187 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected

No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Mehdi Hasan

20 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Senator Chris Van Hollen might not be gunning for a leadership position in the Senate, but he is “kicking the tires on a 2028 national campaign,” he tells Mehdi.

2026-10-02 · assertive framing · Is Chris Van Hollen Running for President? Here’s What He Is Saying to Mehdi

🔮 The highlights include: How billionaires, right-wing politicians, and religious fundamentalists have formed a coalition set on destruction (“They believe they are chosen and they’re going to a bunker in the sky,” Klein says) The Trump administration’s dystopian reconstruction plan for Gaza, and the ongoing genocide there How centrists like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have allowed fascism to rise The dangerous role of unregulated artificial intelligence (“AI money should be as toxic as AIPAC money,” Taylor says) How Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 New York City mayoral campaign offers a blueprint for fighting fascism. Paid subscribers can watch the full 48-minute interview in full above, without a paywall.

2026-09-25 · assertive framing · The ‘End Times’ Fascists Want Doomsday. Can They Be Stopped?

🔮 The author and friend of Zeteo attended the hearing to protest the county’s massive investments in Israeli bonds (the largest globally), a matter the county’s mayor, Sarah Baxter, had no appetite for.

2026-09-19 · assertive framing · Noura Erakat On Why She Was Arrested for Protesting Israeli Bond Investments

🔮 With just over six weeks until the midterm elections, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is in a tight race against GOP candidate Mike Rogers, one that could determine which party controls the Senate during the second half of Trump’s presidency.

2026-09-18 · assertive framing · Abdul El-Sayed Hits Back Against His Critics

🔮 And while you might think the scandal has been debunked and discredited, a new book by veteran political journalist David Corn proves that couldn’t be further from the truth.

2026-09-18 · assertive framing · Trump, Putin, and the Ongoing Plot to Undermine Our Elections

🔮 “We still live in a culture that took my daughter, made a mess of the country she left behind, and every single day I want people to know that Vanessa would not recognize this country.”

2026-09-12 · assertive framing · Two 9/11 Mothers Remember Their Children Killed 25 Years Ago

🔮 If you’re a paid subscriber, you will get to watch live conversations on stage between Mehdi and Zeteo UK journalists and contributors Shehab Khan, Sangita Myska, and Peter Oborne, as well as Green Party leader Zack Polanski.

2026-09-11 · assertive framing · *LIVE ALERT* Stream Zeteo UK’s London Launch Event With Mehdi and Zack Polanski

🔮 Why would you want to miss this lively clash of ideas and opinions?

2026-09-10 · assertive framing · Are Democrats Turning Against Israel - or Jews? Two Leading Jewish Voices Debate Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism

🔮 Sometimes I wonder: What would I be doing today if those planes had never hit those buildings?

2026-09-09 · assertive framing · Where Were You on 9/11? My Story and Yours, 25 Years Later

🔮 Eagleson also discusses Trump’s cozy relationship with MBS and his failure “to try to get Saudi Arabia to admit culpability” for the attacks on September 11, as well as what he calls the “shameful” and “pathetic attempt” to ban New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from attending a commemoration ceremony at Ground Zero.

2026-09-09 · assertive framing · He Lost His Father on 9/11. 25 Years Later, He Is Part of a Lawsuit Against Saudi Arabia

Also by Mehdi Hasan

Debunked: Mehdi Joins Piers Morgan To Destroy Israeli Military Claims About Murdered Journalists

2026-10-06 · Zeteo

Is Chris Van Hollen Running for President? Here’s What He Is Saying to Mehdi

2026-10-02 · Zeteo

The ‘End Times’ Fascists Want Doomsday. Can They Be Stopped?

2026-09-25 · Zeteo

Noura Erakat On Why She Was Arrested for Protesting Israeli Bond Investments

2026-09-19 · Zeteo

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 20 articles by Mehdi Hasan →

Will billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk ever pay their fair share of taxes? asserted

billionaires → pay → taxes

Or are they just destined to find loophole after loophole, as they bury their massive wealth in illiquid stocks and shares? asserted

they → destine → stocks

In this ‘Mehdi Unfiltered’ interview, world-renowned expert on tax avoidance and wealth inequality, economist Gabriel Zucman, explains to Mehdi why a wealth tax may be the perfect response to billionaires’ shady tax tricks. uncertain

tax → explain → tricks

“People like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos in some years [were] reporting no income and paying no income tax,” says Zucman, who is also an economics professor at UC Berkeley and the Paris School of Economics. asserted

who → report → Economics

“That’s why if you want to ensure that the super rich pay their fair share, you have to go after wealth itself.” asserted

you → ’ → wealth

In the interview, Zucman debunks arguments against a wealth tax and explains why such a measure is so urgent right now, on both sides of the Atlantic. asserted

measure → debunk → Atlantic

He and Mehdi also discuss: California’s impending vote on Proposition 40, which would implement a one-time 5% wealth tax on the state’s billionaires How billionaires like Musk and Bezos benefit from hoarding their wealth into their holding companies Why billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban and California Governor Gavin Newsom are wrong to argue that a wealth tax will drive away business Whether the UK’s new Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham should consider a wealth tax Why some wealth taxes have failed in other countries, like France Paid subscribers can watch the 24 minute-long interview in full above, without a paywall. asserted

subscribers → discuss → paywall

Free subscribers can watch a 2-minute preview. asserted

subscribers → watch → preview

Consider upgrading your subscription to unlock all Zeteo has to offer. asserted

Zeteo → consider → all

Check out Zucman’s newest book, We Need To Tax Billionaires. asserted

We → check → Billionaires

And if you’ve already read it, feel free to share your review of the book in the comments below! asserted

you → read → comments

Here’s How You Tax the Billionaires

Quick Summary

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story

Compared with similar articles

Signals How these are calculated →

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Publisher

Who wrote this

Topics

Subjects

Narrative

Claims (11 extracted, 1 hedged)