The leading French economist Gabriel Zucman is urging European governments to inflict financial pain on American billionaires in response to US President Donald Trump’s effort to seize control of Greenland, a mineral-rich island that some of Trump’s rich campaign donors see as a potentially massive profit opportunity.

“Access to the European market—by billionaires and the companies they own—should be made conditional on paying a wealth tax: in effect, a tariff for oligarchs. If Elon Musk, for example, wants to keep selling Teslas in Europe, he should have to pay it. If he refuses, Tesla would lose access to the European market.”

  • WhirlpoolBrewer@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    2 hours ago

    I’m pretty sure Ireland is where all the major companies are “headquartered” and technically keep all their money there for tax reasons. Ireland could just freeze the bank accounts of Apple, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Intel, … Or do something similar if they so choose as retaliation. Would be devastating financially afterwards, but would get the US’s full attention