Should the UK have a wealth tax? The Wealth Tax Commission five years on

Join us at this event to explore how the wealth tax conversation has evolved and whether the UK should be looking to implement a wealth tax today.

In 2020, the Wealth Tax Commission brought together world-leading academics, policymakers and tax practitioners to ‘think big’ about tax policy. Published in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the public finance crisis it triggered, the Commission examined the viability of both annual and one-off wealth taxes. Comprising over thirty papers and half a million words, it remains the most comprehensive body of evidence on wealth taxation globally.

Five years on, the question of how governments can meet increasing public service demand, while confronting escalating geopolitical and environmental challenges, is more urgent than ever. At this event, the Commission’s authors reunite to reflect on its influence on research, policy making and public debate, and share what they learned from the process and the viability of a wealth tax in the UK today.

Meet our speakers and chair

Arun Advani is Director of the Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) and an associate professor in the Economics Department at the University of Warwick. He studies issues of migration, inequality, tax compliance, and tax design, focusing particularly on those with high incomes or wealth. He is also co-chair of the Discover Economics campaign, aiming to increase the diversity of people who study and work in economics.

Emma Chamberlain specialises in tax and trust advice for private clients, trusts and charities. Her practice is focused particularly on IHT and CGT as well as advising foreign domiciliaries and trustees. She frequently advises on taxation issues in connection with divorce and family issues, on BPR and APR and on residence, remittance and domicile enquiries. In some circumstances Emma is able to accept instructions via Public Access.

Andy Summers (@Summers_AD) is Director of the Centre for Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) and an associate professor in the Law School at LSE. His research combines legal expertise with quantitative analysis of administrative data, working in collaboration with economists and other social scientists. Recent work focuses on the evaluation of taxes affecting top earners and the wealthy, and the design of asset registers. At LSE he teaches courses on tax policy and design and the taxation of wealth.

Francisco H G Ferreira is the Amartya Sen Professor of Inequality Studies at LSE and Director of the International Inequalities Institute. He is an economist focused on measuring and understanding inequality and poverty in developing countries. His research has been widely published and recognised with awards such as the Richard Stone Prize in Applied Econometrics and the Kendrick Prize from the International Association for Research in Income and Wealth.

More about this event

LSE Law School (@LSELaw) is one of the world's top law schools with an international reputation for the quality of its teaching and legal research.

The Centre for the Analysis of Taxation (CenTax) is dedicated to improving public understanding of tax policy and helping to design a better tax system, by generating evidence that is rigorous and relevant to policymakers and the public.

The International Inequalities Institute (@LSEInequalities) brings together experts from many LSE departments and centres to lead critical and cutting edge research to understand why inequalities are escalating in numerous arenas across the world, and to develop critical tools to address these challenges.

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