Oxfam takes France to court over tax inequality
An Oxfam France campaigner says the country's tax system breaches the principle of equality before taxation, as the charity pursues legal action against the French state.
The French branch of Oxfam, the international non-governmental organisation that campaigns against poverty and inequality, has launched legal action against the French state. It argues that the tax system violates the constitutional principle of equality before taxation. Layla Abdelké Yakoub, Tax Justice and Inequality Advocacy Officer at Oxfam France, set out the case on France 24 on 15 October.
Main claims
Yakoub says that in France today a billionaire pays proportionally less tax than a nurse or a firefighter. In her view, wealth is becoming ever more concentrated, and preferential tax treatment of the ultra-rich is undermining the principle of equality.
She also points to a marked growth in the fortunes of France's billionaires under President Emmanuel Macron, and questions whether policies meant to improve economic competitiveness have brought wider social benefits.
A gap between investment and public needs
The Oxfam representative describes a widening disconnect between the government's efforts to attract investment and its ability to fund public services, tackle poverty and pursue an ecological transition.
Her criticism goes beyond tax rates. Yakoub argues that a weakened capacity for enforcement and insufficient oversight allow the wealthiest taxpayers to exploit an increasingly unequal system.
The question of legitimacy
According to Yakoub, the debate is no longer only about economic redistribution but about the legitimacy of the tax system itself. The central question is whether a state can claim to uphold fiscal equality when its wealthiest citizens contribute proportionally less than ordinary workers. Oxfam hopes the legal action can compel the French government to bring its tax policies into line with its constitutional commitments and with the needs of public institutions.
