The best people to ask wld be the IFS (www.ifs.org.uk)
--On 06 February 2004 10:45 +0000 Ted Harding
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> A quick and dirty query occurred to me this morning, to which
> I basically want a quick and dirty answer ... however, proper
> analysis of the question would undoubtedly be very complex and
> hedged with some very dark imponderables ... nevertheless, some
> of you may have informed views!
>
> We all pay taxes, roughly in proportion to our incomes.
>
> These taxes are supposed to pay for benefits which we may all
> receive in various degrees.
>
> But my QDQ is: Do the wealthy receive more benefit per tax paid
> than the unwealthy?
>
> Otherwise put: When I pay tax, do people richer than me get more
> out of my tax than I do?
>
> It is supposed to be the other way round: in theory, taxation
> could be a mechanism of (partial) redistribution of wealth, to
> reduce inequalities (e.g. the ideals of the NHS). The poor should
> see more benefit in proportion to the taxes they pay than the
> rich do.
>
> However, sometimes I have my doubts. Recent news stories have
> re-awoken these. In particular there are some very expensive
> people in Government and Civil Service whose recent activities
> seem of doubtful benefit to me. I suspect that wealthy people
> and rich organisations/institutions see benefit (if any) from
> this; I don't think I do!
>
> Comments welcome.
>
> Best wishes to all,
> Ted.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[log in to unmask]>
> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 167 1972
> Date: 06-Feb-04 Time: 10:45:49
> ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
>
> ******************************************************
> Please note that if you press the 'Reply' button your
> message will go only to the sender of this message.
> If you want to reply to the whole list, use your mailer's
> 'Reply-to-All' button to send your message automatically
> to [log in to unmask]
> *******************************************************
>
----------------------
Ruth Levitas
Professor of Sociology
Director of Graduate Studies
University of Bristol
Department of Sociology
12 Woodland Road
Bristol BS8 1UQ
[log in to unmask]
******************************************************
Please note that if you press the 'Reply' button your
message will go only to the sender of this message.
If you want to reply to the whole list, use your mailer's
'Reply-to-All' button to send your message automatically
to [log in to unmask]
*******************************************************
|