The rich and the pandemic: income concentration between 2019 and 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/6zdsnh78Abstract
When we talk about inequality, we are talking about the rich. It is at the top of the pyramid that economic disparities become most evident. Therefore, studying the wealthy through tax data is essential to avoid underestimating inequality. The main objective of this study is to calculate the share of Brazilian income held by the top 1%, 0.1%, and 0.05% between 2019 and 2022. Pareto interpolation was applied to tax data provided by the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service. The chosen time frame is justified not only by the need to update the literature but also because these were the years of the pandemic. The results show that inequality increased during this period: the top 1% of the country’s income holders saw their share rise from 22.96% in 2019 to 28.82% in 2022. Furthermore, the Gini, Mehran, and Piesch inequality indices indicate that income escaping progressive taxation acts as a driver of rising inequality
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