This research analyses wealth taxes and their implementation in various countries around the world, with a particular focus on New Zealand. More specifically, this research considers what a net wealth tax could look like, if introduced in New Zealand, and whether it would be practical and/or financially feasible.

This topic is important because there is limited research on wealth taxes in New Zealand. Previous research has focused on wealth taxes and issues associated with them in other jurisdictions, especially European countries (OECD, 2018). However, there has been little research on the issue in New Zealand, with previous research focusing on estate duty (Littlewood, 2014; Shivas, 2023), which, over time, proved vulnerable to political challenges and suffered from a lack of ideological consistency and practical effectiveness and was ultimately repealed.

This qualitative research uses an international comparative method based on the extant literature and news. The literature reviewed here includes the past practices and lessons learned in relation to wealth taxes in European countries, the United States (US), Australia, and New Zealand.

The research considers how a net wealth tax has been applied in other countries and why it may or may not suit the New Zealand context. In doing so, it develops a deep understanding of the social phenomena and a broad perspective on wealth taxes across different cultures to uncover how international experience can help current policymaking in the New Zealand context. The research ultimately finds that it is valuable to discuss net wealth tax policies to contribute to the debate in New Zealand, even though the country may not introduce such a tax in this electoral term.