Bernard Arno, head of the LVMH luxury group and France’s richest man, attacked 2%tax, which is proposed to be imposed on billionaires, describing the attack on the French economy, while denouncing the architect.

The tax, which is aimed at wealth of over 100m euros, has gained political ground in France, as Prime Minister Sebastian Lekorni is facing pressure from the Socialist Party to include him in the budget of 2026 or to face a budget.

“This is clearly not a technical or economic debate, but rather a clearly expressed desire to destroy the French economy,” Arno told the British Sunday Times.

He accused the architect of the plan, Economist Gabriel Zikman, of being “first and foremost a far -left activist” who uses “pseudo -academic jurisdiction” to promote an ideology aimed at dismantling the liberal system.

Zikman, a professor of French école Normale Supérieure and the University of California in Berkeley, rejected the accusations.

“I have never been an activist of any movement or party,” he wrote on X, adding that his work is based on research, not ideology.

Zikman was among the 300 economists who publicly supported the Economic Platform of the Left Alliance New People’s Front before last year’s parliamentary elections.

He recently argued in his media appearances that the superb pays proportionally less taxes than many other citizens – something that the proposed tax aims to correct.

This tax is widespread popular support, as an IFOP poll, which was ordered this month by the Socialist Party, showed that it was backed by 86% of respondents.