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Income tax was not the result of democratisation, and governments should take note

Mares, Isabela and Queralt, Didac (2016) Income tax was not the result of democratisation, and governments should take note. British Politics and Policy at LSE (26 Feb 2016). Website.

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Abstract

Most democratic nations use income tax. Yet the reasons the measure was adopted were far from democratic, explain Isabela Mares and Didac Queralt. The measure was originally used to consolidate the power of the elites by imposing a heavier burden on industrialists, while the value of one’s vote would even be weighted by the amount of tax one would pay, making income tax responsible for various types of inequality. This history should be considered when drawing fiscal policy today, the authors argue. Although governments should strive to have the wealthy on board, they should not favour them at the expense of everyone else.

Item Type: Online resource (Website)
Official URL: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy
Additional Information: © 2016 The Author(s) CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Divisions: LSE
Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain
Date Deposited: 23 Mar 2017 16:52
Last Modified: 14 Sep 2024 00:42
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/70538

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