Podcast | Think Change episode 107: how do you tax the super rich? The practical challenges of a wealth tax

This podcast was originally published on odi.org on 1 October 2026 here, and is reproduced with kind permission.

As governments globally face growing pressure to raise revenue, amid concerns about inequality and who will have to contribute more, taxing the wealthiest is back at the centre of the debate both in national tax reforms and international negotiations.

In this episode, we bring together proposals for a coordinated global minimum tax on billionaires and data and evidence on how much tax they pay. We'll hear perspectives from African tax administrations on how they are strengthening existing national taxes and administrative capacity, and what it might take to tax the wealthiest wherever they are.  

The conversation goes beyond the headline debate to ask what taxation of the wealthiest could actually mean for low- and middle-income countries: how do we measure wealth and income, how much tax do the richest pay relative to their income, how wealth taxes interact with existing taxes on employment, capital and inheritance, and what could reforms deliver for countries looking to raise more revenue fairly?

Guests

• Sara Pantuliano, Chief Executive, ODI Global (Think Change host) 
• Hazel Granger, Senior Research Fellow, ODI Global
• Ronald Waiswa, Specialist for Applied Research and Statistics, ATAF
• Wouter Leenders, Lecturer in Economics, Kings College London

Resources

• Making tax systems fairer and more effective (Resource hub)
• Wealth-related taxes in low- and middle-income countries (Publication)
• There are fewer than 4,000 billionaires worldwide, and they now hold a record $15.1 trillion. That’s nearly half of the U.S. economy (Article, Forbes)