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Delegates of Chile’s Constitution Convention met with the french economist Thomas Piketty to discuss about inqueality and fiscal policy in the new chart. The meeting was organised by FES Chile and the Network for Fiscal Justice in Chile, a coalition between GI-ESCR, ICRIT, Public Service International, the National Association of Chilean Internal Revenue Service Officials)(ANEIICH) and the Center for Economic and Social Rights.

“Nowadays, it’s very strange to rewrite a Constitution and do it in this democratic and peaceful way”, Thomas Picketty commented in reference to the Chilean process. The expert started recalling that Chile is one of the most unequal countries globally, where the wealthiest 10% concentrates around 60% of the GDP.

Then Piketty explained how a new Constitution could help to fight inequality:

“The new Constitution won’t make the country more equal by itself, but it will allow the future majorities to participate in the reductions of the inequalities”.

Regarding the specific content the new Constitution should include to progress in that direction, Piketty remarked:

“It’s important that the objective of fiscal justice will be clearly established in the Constitution, and the idea of tax progressivity must be referred”.

Moreover, Picketty made a special caveat about what the Constitution will say about taxes:

“If we think in the Constitution’s draft, it’s important not to impose any legal limitation that makes impossible progressive taxation”.

In this sense, Picketty also warned the constituents about the importance of not leaving blank spaces around fiscal policy and other principles because judges and constitutional experts could interpret those spaces later on in many different ways.