EL PAÍS

How wealth is becoming concentrated in Spain

Pablo Sempere — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 19:39:50 +0000

The old-school imperialist ambitions of U.S. President Donald Trump have dominated the World Economic Forum in Davos, overshadowing other common themes surrounding the event, such as the impact of global inequality. Davos was conceived as a gathering of leading international business and political figures, and for decades, various non-governmental groups and activists have used the forum to expose the shameful practices of the global economy amidst private jets, helicopters, and luxury hotels overlooking ski slopes.

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The rich marry the rich: How love perpetuates inequality

Pablo Sempere , Yolanda Clemente Pomeda — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Social class permeates all aspects of life, and love is no exception.

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The social elevator is breaking down in Spain, one of the richest countries with the greatest inequality of opportunity

Pablo Sempere — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 14:55:04 +0000

Economists have long warned that the upward climb has slowed to a near standstill. Now the OECD has provided figures that reinforce this perception: in Spain, more than a third of income inequality is determined by factors that do not depend on the individual, but rather on imposed or inherited circumstances such as gender, the parents’ place of birth, or, above all, their socioeconomic background. This is one of the highest percentages among the countries analyzed by the organization, placing Spain among the group where the influence of birth is especially strong.

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From Eurovision boycott to import bans: Israel faces rising global condemnation

Pablo Sempere , Jorge Morla , Ladislao Javier Moñino — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:41:38 +0000

The brutality of the invasion of Gaza has led to increasing expressions of disapproval toward Israel in more and more countries around the world. Although Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is not facing widespread vetoes and sanctions — as Russia has been subjected to following its large-scale invasion of Ukraine — culture, sports, and measures taken by some states are increasingly focused on condemning the Jewish state for the massacre in Gaza, in which at least 66,000 Palestinian civilians have already died as a result of the Israeli army’s actions. The direct call by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for Israel to be banned from sports following the protests at the Vuelta a España cycling race is the latest example of a global movement that is making progress, albeit very slowly.

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Global trade takes a hit from Trump’s tariffs

Miguel Jiménez Cabeza, Pablo Sempere — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:22:12 +0000

Economic forecasts are organized mirages. Making predictions in these troubled times is like asking a short-sighted person without glasses to describe the horizon. Even so, reports from international organizations are beginning to emerge that attempt to put figures to the sense of anxiety the global economy is experiencing following Donald Trump’s crackdown on trade. The U.S. president’s aggressive tariff policy threatens to curb international trade, hinder economic growth, and fragment the economy.

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Extreme uncertainty sends tremors through central banks and multilateral organizations

Denisse López , Pablo Sempere — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 10:24:56 +0000

The ramping up of global trade tensions has ceased to be a peripheral concern and has become a central issue for the decision-making boards of central banks and multilateral organizations. What began as a threat by the Trump administration quickly turned into an escalation of levies between the U.S. and China that has led to a spiral that could well change the world order: a trade war with systemic effects, capable of altering capital flows, supply chains, and inflationary forecasts.

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Family holidays, Rolex and luxury yachts on company expenses: How the rich evade tax

Pablo Sempere — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 13:41:31 +0000

A trip to Disneyland, curtains from the Spanish department store El Corte Inglés and the housekeeper’s salary. These are some of the expenses that many large fortunes bill through their companies, not to mention the mansions, yachts, private jets and exclusive cars. In Spain, the wealthy use a wide range of strategies — some more sophisticated than others — to minimize their tax burden or sidestep it altogether. While some of these practices are not exactly illegal, they can involve aggressive tax planning techniques that allow the super wealthy to hide assets, disguise income and take advantage of loopholes in the law. Aware of these tactics, the Tax Agency in Spain has implemented a series of mechanisms to combat them. In 2023, almost 1,000 audits led to the recovery of €502 million ($520 million), at a rate of half a million per taxpayer.

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Former world leaders ask Biden and G-20 to approve global tax on the ultra-rich

Pablo Sempere , Laura Delle Femmine — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 11:27:35 +0000

All major international debates on tax matters must first go through the United States and, from there, continue on their way to other global economies such as Germany, France, Italy or Japan. For this reason, 19 former heads of state and government have written a letter asking U.S. President Joe Biden and other G-20 leaders to endorse a new proposal that would levy a special tax on the 3,000 richest people in the world, with the aim of raising up to $250 billion (about €231 billion) per year globally.

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Wealthier than ever: Taxpayers who earn over €601,000 up by 25% in Spain

Pablo Sempere , Yolanda Clemente Pomeda — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 14:41:21 +0000

Spain has more high-earning taxpayers than ever. In 2022, thanks to the positive evolution of corporate profits, a good showing by the economy and strong employment figures, the amount of people with an annual declared income of more than €601,000 grew by 25% compared to the previous year, reaching 15,186 individuals. It is, by far, the largest amount of very high earners in the Tax Agency’s annual analysis of personal income tax, updated on Monday. It is also the group of taxpayers that proportionally grew by more members than any other group.

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Germany’s paralysis threatens European economy

Pablo Sempere , Lluís Pellicer Mateu — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:54:44 +0000

Europe’s economic engine remains stalled. And just as when Germany sneezes the eurozone catches a cold, the main EU capitals are closely watching everything that is happening in Berlin. At the moment, the outlook is not at all promising. The country’s five large economic research and analysis institutes have sharply lowered their forecasts for 2024: if just half a year ago, the German economy was expected to grow 1.3%, now the forecast has been cut to just 0.1%.

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Portugal tightens tax advantages for foreign workers

Pablo Sempere — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 18:14:13 +0000

Portugal has decided to extend the popular tax benefits for non-permanent residents, but also toughened the eligibility criteria in the process. In October, former Prime Minister António Costa announced that the beneficial regime for high-net-worth individuals would end on December 31, 2023. However, during the debate to approve the country’s public budget, Socialist Party legislators introduced an amendment to extend the regime through December 31, 2024.

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