Why was a wealth tax for the UK abandoned?: lessons for the policy process and tackling wealth inequality

Glennerster, Howard (2012) Why was a wealth tax for the UK abandoned?: lessons for the policy process and tackling wealth inequality. Journal of Social Policy, 41 (2). pp. 233-249. ISSN 0047-2794

Preview

PDF Download (406kB) | Preview

Abstract

The distribution of wealth is widening in many countries and with it the growing importance of inherited wealth. In 1974, a Labour Government came to power in the United Kingdom committed to introducing an annual wealth tax. It left office without doing so. Using the official archives of the time and those of a key advisor this paper traces both the origins of the policy and its fate at the hands of the civil service. It explores two related questions. What does this experience tell us about the role of the civil service in the policy process in the UK and what lessons might be learned by those wishing to tackle the issue of widening wealth disparities today?

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJourna...
Additional Information:	© 2011 Cambridge University Press
Divisions:	Social Policy STICERD Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HJ Public Finance H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain
Date Deposited:	15 Mar 2012 13:59
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2024 05:45
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/42582

Actions (login required)

View Item