France Takes Aim at Wealthy as Way Out of Political Paralysis

One way or another, the taxman is coming for France’s wealthiest citizens.

As Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu navigates a narrowing path to political survival, the 39-year-old is under pressure from the left, the extreme right and even his own centrist allies to include higher levies on the well-heeled as part of an effort to rein in the largest deficit in the euro area.

The country’s fifth premier in less than two years on Friday criticized calls for a broad-based wealth tax, including one proposal named after economist Gabriel Zucman. But he left the door open to measures that could affect the richest, saying it’s impossible not to hear French ...