The governments of Brazil and Spain signed, this Tuesday (10), a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation in the creation and improvement of tax policies aimed at the wealthiest population.
The agreement seeks to strengthen taxation of the super-rich, encourage more progressive tax systems and combat the concentration of income and wealth. The initiative also intends to mobilize other countries around an international articulation on the topic.
The document was signed by the Finance Ministers of Brazil, Dario Durigan, and Spain, Arcadi España. Among the measures envisaged are the exchange of information and technical knowledge and the carrying out of joint studies.
The agreement also provides for the debate on tax reforms and the strengthening of the two countries' activities in international organizations, such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The memorandum establishes a collaboration agenda, but does not determine the immediate creation of new taxes nor does it oblige countries to adopt changes to their legislation. Each government will remain responsible for deciding its own tax policies.
What are super rich?
The term super-rich is used to identify people who have large volumes of wealth, such as money, real estate, shares in companies, shares and other investments.
There is no precise value to define the super rich. However, when it presided over the G20 in 2024, Brazil defended the proposal of French economist Gabriel Zucman, which provides for a global minimum tax of 2% on assets exceeding US$100 million.
The discussion about the taxation of this group involves the so-called fiscal progressivity, a principle according to which those with greater economic capacity must contribute proportionally more to State financing.
In practice, the debate seeks to assess whether tax systems are able to charge taxes in a balanced manner between different income and wealth ranges.
One of the points raised by the Brazilian and Spanish governments is that people with large fortunes may end up paying, proportionally, less taxes than workers and other lower income groups, depending on the tax structure of each country.
When defending cooperation, Dario Durigan stated that the situation needs to be faced internationally.
"It is simply unacceptable that the super-rich continue to pay proportionally less taxes and international cooperation is an indispensable pillar for us to build fairer and more balanced tax systems", declared the Brazilian minister when signing the document.
Durigan also highlighted the partnership with the Spanish government to expand the debate on tax justice.
What does the agreement provide?
The memorandum of understanding establishes eight main fronts of cooperation between Brazil and Spain. The objective is to share experiences, develop studies and identify alternatives to make taxation more progressive.
Among the planned commitments are:
Tax reforms: promote evidence-based studies and proposals to improve the progressiveness of the tax systems in both countries.
Technical exchange: bringing together researchers, experts and public managers to discuss income and wealth taxation policies.
Access to data: discuss the possibility of using fiscal administrative microdata to calculate with greater precision how much the richest actually pay in taxes.
Policy review: create opportunities for Brazil and Spain to evaluate each other's tax experiences and identify possibilities for improvement.
Information sharing: exchange knowledge about international trends and experiences related to taxation.
International action: strengthen cooperation in debates held at the UN and the OECD on the taxation of people with large assets.
Democracy and development: expand discussions on the relationship between tax justice, democracy and sustainable development.
Institutional cooperation: promote meetings, seminars, workshops and training activities for public servants.
One of the important points is the discussion about access to fiscal microdata. This information, when used appropriately and protected by confidentiality rules, allows for more detailed analyzes of the distribution of income and the weight of taxes in different economic groups.
With this, governments intend to improve studies on the so-called effective rates, which represent the proportion of income or assets actually allocated to paying taxes, considering the rules applicable to each taxpayer.
International articulation
The partnership between Brazil and Spain continues an initiative presented by the two countries in 2025, during the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Seville.
On the occasion, the Seville Action Platform (SPA) was promoted, aimed at international cooperation to discuss the taxation of people with very high assets.
The proposal is to bring together countries and institutions to develop multilateral actions related to tax justice and the fulfillment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
In April 2026, ministers from both countries also reaffirmed their commitment to the initiative at a meeting in Barcelona, during the 4th Summit in Defense of Democracy.
Spanish minister Arcadi España stated that the partnership between the governments of Pedro Sánchez and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva can contribute to expanding the international debate.
"It is impossible to have social justice if we do not guarantee that large heritage sites contribute in an equitable manner," said España.
The minister also highlighted the importance of collaboration with the Brazilian government to strengthen the discussion on tax justice in other international forums.
Term and validity
The memorandum will be valid for three years, with the possibility of renewal following an agreement between Brazil and Spain.
The document also establishes that cooperation does not create obligations under International Law. Although the commitment formalizes an agenda for dialogue and collaboration, it does not require countries to adopt certain tax measures.
Therefore, any changes in the collection of taxes on large assets will depend on internal decisions by each government, respecting their respective legislation and competences.
