Bernard Arnault Ordered to Pay €22.5 Million in French Taxes

French authorities have ordered Bernard Arnault, the billionaire chief of LVMH, to pay €22.5 million in taxes after years of litigation, according to Jiemian News. A recent ruling by the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal said Arnault and his wife must pay €12.96 million for 2010 in an “additional contribution,” including taxes, social security charges, surcharges and late-payment interest, plus €9.5 million in France’s wealth solidarity tax for 2012 to 2015. Arnault said on July 4 that he would appeal the ruling to France’s top administrative court. His spokesman also said LVMH is France’s biggest taxpayer and contributes more than 1% of French GDP. LVMH’s chief financial officer said on an earnings call that the group’s total income tax bill rose to about €5.5 billion last year, more than €300 million higher than in 2024. The dispute stemmed from a restructuring in which Arnault transferred LVMH-related shares to a Belgian holding company in exchange for shares in that entity. Years later, when the company returned about €50 million to Arnault through a capital reduction, he argued the payment should be treated as a tax-free capital repayment. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index put Arnault’s net worth at about $167 billion on July 17, ranking him ninth globally. LVMH reported 2025 full-year revenue of €80.81 billion, down about 4.6%, recurring operating profit of €17.755 billion, down 9%, and net profit of €10.878 billion, down 13%.