OECD calls for higher inheritance tax after Covid pandemic

Wealth inequality will rise over the next decade unless death duties also increase, says thinktank

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Inheritance tax should become a larger slice of government tax revenue after the pandemic, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that warns wealth inequality will rise over the next decade unless death duties also increase.

A more robust tax on inheritances that prevents the use of avoidance measures by the super-wealthy would also support efforts by governments to pay down debts incurred over the past year to cope with the Covid-19 virus, said the Paris-based thinktank, which advises 36 mainly richer countries, including the UK.