Rethinking Taxation and Inequality
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear readers,
Debates on taxation have returned to the centre of political discourse across Europe and beyond. As wealth concentration intensifies and public resources come under increasing pressure, questions of redistribution, fiscal justice, and democratic accountability are gaining renewed urgency. Recent developments, such as the introduction of a new tax on luxury second homes by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, show how these debates are moving from theory into policy.
In this issue, we bring together contributions that approach taxation from different perspectives. From reflections on how perceptions of inequality shape political attitudes, to arguments for ambitious wealth taxation, and analyses of rentier dynamics in housing markets, the articles explore both the structural and the everyday dimensions of inequality. Together, they point to taxation not only as a fiscal instrument, but as a key terrain of political struggle and social organisation.
As always, this newsletter also includes our latest publications and information on upcoming events across the network.
|
|
|
We hope this issue offers useful insights and perspectives.
Štefica Gazibara
Web Editor for transform! europe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Taxing the super-rich is back on the agenda. But tackling inequality requires more than that. Moving beyond slogans, this article explores why taxation needs to be reclaimed as a means of collective protection.
➡️ Read more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wealth inequality is accelerating across Europe. This article argues that only a high, progressive and properly designed wealth tax can meaningfully reduce it and explains why other forms of assets taxation fall short.
➡️ Read more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Housing in Spain is increasingly shaped by rentier dynamics. This article explores how property ownership drives inequality and why taxation must play a central role.
➡️ Read more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From austerity measures to tax cuts for the wealthy, policy decisions have benefited a select few, driving inequality across Europe. Taxing the rich could reverse the flow if the Left makes it a central priority.
➡️ Read more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This ePaper by Yann Le Lann, Vice President of transform! europe, offers a critical examination of one of neoliberalism’s most consequential ideological shifts: the displacement of property from the realm of material ownership to that of the self.
Drawing on cultural sociology, political theory, and the history of ideas, the text traces how the liberal ideal of property has been reconfigured into a demand for continuous self-ownership. Rather than a stable legal condition, self-ownership emerges as an ongoing project, requiring constant work, monitoring, and adaptation.
➡️ More details here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A European Work-Time Network webinar examines the 32-hour working week pilot by the UK-based Mental Health Foundation, a charity focused on mental health and its social determinants.
➡️ More details here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Following a successful launch in 2025, the Marxist Summer School is returning for a second round! From 10 to 12 July 2026, the second edition of the Marxist Summer School will take place at the Université du Travail in Charleroi, Belgium.
➡️ More details here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The European Work-Time Network, of which transform! europe is a member, is organising an International Conference on Working Time Reduction, bringing together leading scholars to present cutting-edge research and engage with contemporary debates on working time reduction.
➡️ More details here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
