While other countries are trying to retain capital, France is moving in the opposite direction — shaping one of the most aggressive tax packages in the EU. Four initiatives currently at the final stage of approval could radically change the rules of the game for high-net-worth individuals, investors, and crypto-asset holders.
1. Citizenship-Based Taxation: France Adopts the U.S. Approach
The most high-profile element of the package is an attempt to introduce taxation based on citizenship.
This would mean that tax obligations do not end after relocating to another country.
What is being proposed:
tax enforcement against citizens with income exceeding €235,000;
migration to a jurisdiction with tax rates at least 40% lower than those in France as a trigger;
provided the individual has lived in France for at least 3 of the last 10 years.
This is a logical response to a long-standing trend: wealthy French citizens actively relocating to Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco, the UAE, and other low-tax jurisdictions.
Political rationale
France aims to stop “fiscal erosion” — the loss of its tax base that creates new budget gaps — but in doing so effectively opens the door to double taxation and potential international disputes.
2. Wealth Tax: A New Iteration of the Equality Debate
The proposal by economist Gabriel Zucman to apply a 2% annual tax on fortunes exceeding €100 million has become a political banner for the left bloc.
However, this approach carries significant risks:
a high probability of emigration by wealthy families;
reduced investment activity;
relocation of assets and structures to Switzerland, Singapore, or London.
Parliament has already blocked the most radical versions, but the idea continues to gain voter support.
3. “Unproductive Wealth” as a New Tax Base — and Why Crypto Assets Are Included
The concept of unproductive wealth is revolutionary for the EU. It allows taxation of assets that do not generate economic returns.
Assets classified as unproductive wealth include:
art collections;
luxury goods;
high-end real estate;
yachts;
large crypto portfolios — Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others.
Cryptocurrencies are reportedly viewed not as financial instruments but as a form of capital preservation that the state wants to push toward “more productive” investments.
This opens the door to the first systemic model in Europe of tax pressure on large crypto holders.
4. Capital Is Leaving Before the Law Is Passed
Consultants, wealth managers, and family offices already report:
a sharp rise in relocation requests;
mass structured asset withdrawals;
growing interest in Monaco, Switzerland, the UAE, Cyprus, and Portugal.
This means that even uncertainty alone is already costing France billions in potential tax revenues.
What This Means Globally
France is setting a European precedent
If adopted, other countries — especially Spain, Belgium, and Germany, where wealth tax debates have long been brewing — may follow this model.Crypto holders become a new fiscal target
For the first time, a state openly labels large crypto assets as “unproductive wealth.” This could reshape portfolios and accelerate crypto-investor emigration.The return of fiscal protectionism
The world is moving away from the principle “taxes follow the resident” toward a new concept: “taxes follow wealth.”