Abstract
Progressive (resp. regressive) taxation refers to a taxation scheme in which the amount of tax paid as a proportion of the tax base rises (resp. declines) with that base. While progressive taxation has been justified in terms of the ‘principle of equal sacrifice’ and mitigating the inequality of market outcomes, no general political theory of income taxation provides theoretical support for the observed prevalence of progressive taxation schemes. Nor has the theory of optimal income (and consumption) taxation shed any light on the nature of progressive taxation, either normatively or positively.
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Vickrey, W., Ok, E.A. (2018). Progressive and Regressive Taxation. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1805
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95189-5_1805
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